hearing online at c-span.org. the u.s. house about to gavel in for legislative business. members taking up several health care-related bills, including one repealing the medical device tax. another expanding the religious exemption from the 2010 health care law. also, debate on a bill that would prohibit the rehiring of fired i.r.s. employees. now live to the house here on c-span. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] guest chaplai ali ghazvini, islamic cultural center of fresno, fresno, california. the chaplain: in the name of god the compassionate, the merciful, almighty god i thank you for having led me to this great nation whose history of welcoming immigrants makes it possible for me to give today's prayer. i thank you for inspiring our

founding fathers and the governments that followed to acknowledge the liberties and minority rights. i ask you, god, to bless members of this house and i pray you continue to inspire our elected officials so that their positions meet your approval. i pray that you inspire them to continue to uphold the democratic values of fairness and compassion that have made our nation great. so that no one seeking refuge from war is banned from stepping on our soil based on faith affiliation or race. so that this -- so that desperate families seeking refuge are not separated. god empower our lawmakers to promote peace, starting in our own cities and emanating to the rest of the world.

amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announce -- announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approve. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from illinois, mr. schneider. mr. schneider: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from california, mr. costa, is recognized for one minute. mr. costa: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today and it's my honor and privilege to welcome imam ghazvini as the guest chaplain to the united states house of representatives. for the past 14 years, imam seyed ali ghazvini has served as imam or spiritual leader of

the islamic cultural center in fresno. a very important islamic center in the san joaquin valley. in addition to leading prayers and the study, the imam -- the imam ghazvini has distinguished himself as a prominent, prominent community leader. since the beginning of his ministry, the imam has worked intently to facilitate meaningful interfaith dialogue and understanding throughout the valley among all religions. as the co-chair of the interfaith alliance of the central california, he's brought together numerous religious and social justice organizations to host mixed faith events and spread tolerance and incluesivity throughout the san joaquin valley. i know because i have had the wonderful pleasure and honor to participate. so it's been with great honor,

again, that many of us who've een able to participate in his interdenominational meetings have seen a renewed commitment to social justice firsthand. i want you to welcome me in joining him and thank him this morning for his opening prayer. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute.

mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i'm proud to say that the cities of north texas are frequently named some of the best places to live in the whole country. of course, there's no surprise to the folks who live there. there are many reasons that north texas continues to draw people and businesses to the area. these reasons include good schools and low taxes, but people are also attracted to our business-friendly environment. in fact, just last week, the plano chamber of commerce was nationally recognized as the 2018 chamber of the year. now, that's got to be outstanding. i want to congratulate jamie jolly, the president of the plano chamber, as well as the entire plano chamber of commerce team for all your hard work to make our business community such a thriving success. od bless you, and i salute you

. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from minnesota seek without neck snigs objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. mccollum: over the past decade, congress has provided israel with more than $30 billion in security assistance. israel's security is important. but according to unicef, israel is the only country in the world that systematically uses its military to arrest, interrogate, and imprison children, palestinian children, some as young as 12 years old. countless cases of mistreatment, solitary confinement, forced confessions have been documented by amnesty international, human rights watch, and our own state department. we must ensure that no u.s. tax dollars are supporting the mistreatment and abuse of

palestinian children. i urge my colleagues to co-sponsor h.r. 4391, a bill to prohibit u.s. funds from supporting israel's violent military detention and abuse of palestinian children. this abuse must stop. peace in the middle east can only be achieved by ensuring israel's security, respecting human rights, promoting equality and justice for all palestinians. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my you remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today at 12:30, the u.s. institute of peace will offer an educational briefing for members and staff on the institute's role in reducing violent conflict abroad. as a strong supporter of the

u.s. institute of peace, i'm pleased to welcome the president to the hill today. she'll explain the history and relevance of the institute's mission and how they find nonviolent solutions to international conflicts. she will provide the update on the institute's programs and how its training and educational functions are building long-term capacities for nonviolent conflict resolution that helps countries solve their own problems. she will be joined by colleagues who will provide policy updates and explain how the institute's efforts are after n impact on both canned the -- africa and others. in 1984, the institute was formed. conflict management and resolution skills are essential in today's volatile international security environment. i'm grateful for the institute's work. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. higgins: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, i have proudly stood before this house on many occasions to honor the life and legacy of south buffalo native john glanville. he was young diplomat for international development and was tragically murdered by in khartoum, ists south sudan. he was helping them to become a democracy. a decade after john's death, the family is still fighting the international justice system to hold the government of sudan accountable for his death. the trump administration's department of state is now considering removing sudan from the list of state sponsored

terrorists. if the state department allows for that removal, sudan's responsibility for john's death and the escape of his convicted murderers must be a condition for the state department's action in this matter. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. harris: mr. speaker, i rise to congratulate the easton noonan airfield on the 70th anniversary. eastern airport is a fixture in the community and celebrates a rich and patriotic history. originally constructed by the military during corralled war ii, the easton airport was used as one of the hundreds of bases for military planes patrolling the east coast for nazi submarines. after the war, the federal government sold the airport and others like it to the local jurisdictions in which they were located for just $1.

since the end of world war ii, the easton airport has grown to be the busiest general aviation facility in maryland, serving local businesses, military, corporate pilots and aviation enthuse yists. congratulations to the easton airport to this anniversary and cheers to another 00 years for -- 100 years for serving maryland, the entire community. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek -- from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. schneider: mr. speaker, earlier this month, special counsel robert mueller indicted 12 russian intelligence operatives for their activity hacking democratic emails and computers during the 2016 election. in illinois, our state board of elections was also targeted and the voter registration breached. data on tens of thousands of illinois voters was taken. this breach and the taking of

voter data is unacceptable, malicious attack on the nation and the people. we must not only hold the attackers accountable, we need to ensure attacks on our next election are defended against. personally, i've met with county clerks for the district i represent and i know they are taking action, taking this threat seriously. we must ensure our federal government is responding with the same level of urgency. that's why food i led my illinois colleagues in a letter requesting a briefing from the department of justice on their election security efforts in our state. protecting the integrity of our election is fundamental to our democracy. i urge the department of justice to work with illinois to secure our election infrastructure and prepare for this serious national threat. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, ethiopian prime minister dr. ali has made positive changes

in the country since his april inauguration. prime minister ali has released thousands of political prisoners and ended a state of emergency. critically, dr. ali has stated that ethiopia will fully comply with the algiers agreement peace agreement signed with -- for the formal end of the war of 12 years which gruesomely killed over 100,000 people. president -- prime minister abe's address and leadership will initiate with the leadership and offer direct airline routes that have melted away a nearly 18-year cold war between the two states. the united states will continue to support prime minister abe's diplomatic relation reform which will contribute to regional stability. new hope and opportunity with free market reforms are now available for the people of ethiopia. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism.

welcome, pastor john hegy, and christians ue is righted for israel to washington addressed last night by ambassador hayley. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognize? mr. kildee: mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. kildee: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to thank my house colleagues who visited my hometown of flint, michigan, last week to get an update on the city's ongoing water crisis. i want to specifically thank leader nancy pelosi, assistant democratic leader jim clyburn, representatives barbara lee, jim mcgovern, jared huffman, of course the members of the michigan delegation, including sandy levin, brenda lawrence, debbie dingell. i want to thank them all for visiting flint. i appreciate all of my colleagues who have come to flint to visit with families and especially grateful congress passed much-needed help for this community as it struggles to overcome this water crisis. today there's progress in flint

thanks to this body. nearly 7,000 of those dangerous lead pipes have been replaced so far, using the federal funds we provided. the recovery does continue. the flint water crisis has faded from the national headlines. this congressional delegation is a reminder that the crisis isn't over. that visit was an opportunity for us to hear directly from families that there's still much to be done. but what happened in flint is not some anomaly. it's a warning to the rest of the country that we have to do more to rebuild america's critical infrastructure. otherwise we run the risk of having more flint, michigans, to come. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from missouri seek ecognition? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today in support of giving americans more choices

when deciding how to save for health care expenses. the legislation we are voting on this week will increase the number of americans who are eligible to contribute to tax-free health savings accounts and expand the use of h.s.a.'s to cover direct, primary care and over-the-counter medicines. ms. wagner: h.s.a.'s make it easier for people to take a proactive approach to their own health care. it's time to give americans more access, more choice and affordability when spending their hard-earned paychecks. our legislation will also reduce premiums, roll back burdensome obamacare regulations and give americans more options and control when dealing with personal issues of health care. i look forward to casting my vote for all missourians, especially those in missouri's second congressional district, they deserve the freedom to do what's best for their families. i thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition?

without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to recognize a group of unsung heroes who help keep our country and communities safe. public safety air crews fly every day across the nation to ensure the safety of our domestic air space, often very hazardous conditions. mr. bilirakis: they also support first responders in disaster response and rescue missions throughout the country. we honor the commitment of public servants past and present some have made the ultimate sacrifice. it is only fitting that a day be set aside to honor public servants past and present who have served. to this end i introduce h.r. 991

to recognize june 26 of each year as the national public safety aviation day. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, by the direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution 1011 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 173. house resolution 1011. resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 184, to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on medical devices. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the

bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means; and, two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 2, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 6311, to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 and the patient protection and affordable care act to modify the definition of qualified health plan for purposes of the health insurance premium tax credit and to allow individuals purchasing health insurance in the individual market to purchase a lower premium copper plan. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on ways and means, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 115-83 shall be

considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means, and, two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. >> thank you, mr. speaker, for the purposes of debate only i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. during consideration of this resolution all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. mr. burgess: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: house resolution 101 provides for the consideration of two bills aimed at removing some of the most burdensome aspects of the affordable care act and as a result moving toward lowering health care costs for the millions of americans who are confronted daily with rising premiums, rising deductibles, and rising drug prices. with each bill we take one step closer to ultimately eliminating the affordable care act's government-run approach to health care and return to a market-driven solution that puts patients first. the first bill in today's rule, h.r. 184, the protect medical innovation act of 2017, would repeal the excise tax on medical devices imposed on american companies by the previously mentioned affordable care act. the second bill in today's rule, h.r. 6311, the increasing access

to lower premium plans and expanding health savings account acts of 2018, expands the availability and the use of health savings accounts to allow individuals and their families to save their own money and budget for the health care needs they have that otherwise would not be part of their budget. today's resolution provides for a closed rule for h.r. 184, the protect medical innovation act of 2017. this is the standard practice for a tax-related measure on the house floor. the rule provides for one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority mobe on the committee on ways and means. the rule does provide the minority with the customary meigs to recommit with or without instructions. the second part of today's

resolution provides for a rule for h.r. 6311, the increasing access to lower premium plans and expanding health savings account act of 2018. the rule provides for one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means. the customary motion to recommit with or without instructions is provided to the minority. this week, republicans in the house continue our efforts to increase more health care options while driving down premiums in the individual market. according to the office of the assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the department of health and human services, premiums on the exchange are 105% higher on average in calendar year 2017 compared to premiums in the individual market in calendar year 2013,

which was the last year before the affordable care act took effect. it is important that we continue to address the negative impact that the affordable care act has had on the individual market and to help americans provide help to americans across the country so that they can be more in charge of their health care purchases. thus far, the republican congress has been successful in nullifying the individual mandate, repealing the independent payment advisory board, and delaying many of the harmful taxes on american businesses, american consumers. i am also encouraged by the actions of the administration in permitting more low-cost, limited duration insurance plans and allowing access to association health plans for more small businesses. these are choices that are providing the american people, providing to the american people so that they, the american

people, can be in the driver's seat, not the other way around with the a.c.a.'s government-approved one-size-fits-all health care model. with that in mind two bill we are considering this week seek to expand and improve health savings accounts. you should this -- under the current rule, h.r. 6311, the increasing access to lower premium plan and expanding health savings account act of 2018, will enhance the benefit of tax-referred health accounts so that individuals can better plan and save for their health care needs and also lower these individuals -- and also these individuals will see lower premiums on their health care plans. for the last several congresses, i have argued to improve the utility of helt savings accountses, so i am pleased to see that these important policies are being advanced through the house this week. in addition to offering health

insurance, many employers often arrange to reimburse their employees and their dependents some of their medical expenses that are not covered by health insurance. health flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement arrangements are two of the more common agreements offered -- arrangements offered by employers. i've heard of the frustration of employeesmark of whom are my constituents in north texas, over forfeiting remaining amounts in their flexible spending account at the end of each plan year. we can all agree that the health care needs and purchases vary from year to year. where one person -- where one year a person may have more medical expenses than the next or the other way around. one of the provisions in h.r. 6311 eliminates the arbitrary use it or lose it rule and allows flexible spending account balances to be carried over to the next plan year within a

reasonable annual flexible spending account contribution limit. another provision allows working seniors that are covered under an h.s.a.-eligible high deductible health plan and enrolled in medicare part a to continue to contribute to their health savings account. just because someone becomes eligible for medicare because of age they should not be prohibited from continuing to contribute to a health savings account. under current law, there are annual health savings account contribution limits. in 2018, the limit for an dividual was $3,450, for family, the amount was $6,900. while these limits are updated annually for inflation, they are significantly less than the combined limit on annual out of pocket deductible expenses. h.r. 6311 would allow

individuals to increase their contributions to equal to the combined annual limit on the out of pocket and deductible expenses under their h.s.a. qualified insurance plan that would be $6,550 for an individual and $13,300 for a family this year. the afordable care act limits the option of individuals enrolled in bronze and so-called copper or catastrophic plans to make h.s.a. contributions. also, only those under 30 or those that qualify for a hardship exemption are actually able to purchase the so-called copper health plan. that's a 50% actuarial value health plan. so today i am pleased that a bill that i introduced with representative roskam, h.r. 6314, the health savings act of 2018, to expand the eligibility

and the access to health savings accounts by allowing plans categorized as catastrophic and bronze plans in the individual and small group market to qualify for h.s.a. contributions. that's included in this bill. lastly, i appreciate working with the ways and means health subcommittee chairman peter roskam on 6311, one of the key provisions of the bill is to provide an offramp from obamacare's rising premiums and limited choices by allowing the premium tax credit to be used for qualified plans offered outside of the law's exchanges and healthcare.gov. in addition it expands access to the lowiest -- lowest premium plans available, so-called copper or catastrophic plans, for all individuals purchasing in the individual market and allows the premium tax credit to be used to offset the cost of such plans.

i recognize not everyone will choose to have a health savings account. but they should have the option because h.s.a.'s do represent a powerful tool to lower prices and improve access to quality care for everyone. and those are goals that we can all share. now it is well documented that many of the provisions contained within the affordable care act have negative consequences on patients, both in access to care and in affordability. one of the provisions that has been universally criticized is that on a large bipartisan nature is that the repeal was -- and its repeal was called for almost immediately after the passage of the affordable care act. thises the so-called medical device tax. this tax on medical device manufacturers, more commonly referred to as the medical device tax, seems illogical that within a piece of legislation that was purpose ported to make more medical care available,

more accessible to all americans, the federal government would want to tax the very providers of medical innovation that creates devices to improve the delivery of health care, but nevertheless that is exactly what happened when obamacare passed in 2010 and it was done as a means to pay for the astronomical price tag that accompanied the affordable care act. this tax burden is unfair. and it actually increases costs that consumers pay at their doctor's office. the tax has also been cited by dozens of medical device manufacturers who have or are considering moving their operations overseas so that they can continue to innovate without the heavy burden of this tax stifling their growth. this tax slows new techniques and devices which will make the delivery of medicine more efficient and will put risk

jobs that were created after the creation of such devices. if anyone thinks we are merely talking about the largest and most expenses of technology found within a hospital, basically your m.r.i. or cat scanner and some surgical equipment, let's be clear this tax covers every piece of medical equipment from those large machines to the smallest of items, including syringes used to deliver life-saving antibiotics and vaccines. it negatively impacts a number of my constituents in my district and i'm certain in districts around the country and it does continue to create a burden on a number of companies. the medical device tax has led to the elimination of thousands of good-paying jobs and repealing it would be the first step to bringing those jobs back and to stem the loss of future jobs within the vital industry that is helping to

mitigate rising costs of health care due to the burdensome provisions within the affordable care act. this is a tax on business, tax on consumers, a tax on innovation. to date 33,000 jobs have been lost in the medical device industry since the passage of the affordable care act. it is projected that over 130,000 additional jobs are on the chopping block. why would anyone be surprised about this? excise taxes -- and that's what this is, an excise tax, are meant to lead to a reduction in the consumption of the good being taxed. we place an excise tax on cigarettes. we wanted to scourge people from smoking. we make it burdensome to afford a smoking habit. did we really intend with the passage of the affordable care act by congressional democrats in 2010 to make it more burdensome to use more efficient medical devices?

h.r. 184 has bipartisan, bicameral support. currently 227 co-sponsors. republican leadership in the house has heard this request and heard the calls from many members within this body and is moving this bill in a responsible way to put americans back to work and lower health care costs for all. i urge my colleagues to support today's rule and the underlying bill. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank the gentleman from texas for yielding me the customary 30 minutes for debate. mr. speaker, i rise to debate this rule but i would urge my colleague from texas to be mindful that this ain't going nowhere. you know, so we really are when all is said and done wasting

our time. this is not likely to be taken up by the senate in august. and why we are not doing other things i simply cannot understand. the protect medical innovation act, the increasing access to lower premium plans and expanding health savings account, all these things are worth while considering. the gentleman from texas certainly is an expert in this area and is most sincere. it's regrettable that the legislation ultimately will pass the house of representatives, ain't going nowhere. taken together, these measures do nothing to emeal rate the republican attempt to eviscerate the affordable care act. they do nothing to curb rising drug costs and do nothing to curtail skyrocketing premium hikes.

instead, h.r. 6311 continues the republican majority's destructive path of undermining and destabilizing our health insurance markets. this package of six bills will likely lead to fewer choices and competition for moderate and lower income families that do not have the disposable income to pay premium costs upfront. in bringing up the second measure, h.r. 184, my friends across the aisle seem intent on ignoring the pressing issues facing our country, like sensible legislation that will address the country's ongoing gun violence epidemic. passing legislation that will protect our election infrastructure from hostile foreign hacking. or passing legislation that will help reunite the more than

2,500 separated children with their family -- from their families. rather, the republican majority wants to waste valuable legislative time in repealing attacks that won't even be active until 2020. this is the last week before we go on a five-week recess, and we're doing nothing. even worse, these bills are not offset and taken together with tomorrow's bills will add up to $90 billion to our deficit. they are not paid for. and i challenge my colleague on the floor handling this rule to tell me where the pay-fors are, and if there are none, why are they not paid for? $90 billion. mr. speaker, i strongly believe that the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our

communities must be addressed in a comprehensive manner. and without further delay. unfortunately, our nation has witnessed far too many senseless deaths caused each day by firearms and that continues to rise. under a republican majority, many commonsense reforms, such as the assault weapons ban -- and somebody please tell me why anyone other than the military d law enforcement needs an assault weapon. i for the life of me can't understand it. these measures were allowed to expire. might add flood insurance is getting ready to expire. we are not taking that measure up. providing nearly unfettered access to a variety of firearms does not make any sense. someone said to me, well, there

are 103 kinds of automatic weapons. i say, ban them all, because they don't have any business in the hands of people in the streets at all. while we need to preserve the rights of responsible gun owners -- and i'm one of them. i believe in the second amendment. we must focus our attention and efforts on keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous individuals instead of attacking and onmining the health care for millions of hardworking americans. while the present administration works to further the majority aims of dismantling the most popular aspects of the affordable care act, like keeping children on their parents' health insurance until the age of 26, and protecting people with pre-existing conditions, these bills continue to balloon federal spending and deficits.

while we were promised increased revenue from the g.o.p. tax cuts of 2017, with the g.o.p. falling back on entire talking points like tax cuts paying for themselves, we now have the congressional udget office projecting over $1 trillion in budget deficits in 2020, even before legislation like this passes. whatever happened to the conservative republicans? where did they go, the fiscal conservative republicans that are blowing up the deficit in this country? the amount of fiscal irresponsibility demonstrated by my friends across the aisle is shocking and will be of great detriment to all americans in the future. moreover, these pieces of legislation do nothing to

holistically solve the most pressing concerns hardworking americans have with health care. ever increasing premiums, unstable health markets, and exploding drug costs. in fact, in the last year and a half, the majority has gone out of their way to destabilize health markets as much as they can. instead of encouraging americans to enroll in health insurance, the department of health and human services has created an advertising campaign explicitly undermining the individual insurance markets created under the affordable care act. republicans have cut the department's budget for those grassroots organizations whose sole purpose is to assist folks in signing up for health insurance. how much of the budget did they cut?

92%. in addition to this, h.h.s. has threatened states that try to lower premiums, and the trump administration has even cancelled cost sharing reduction payments to insurers, which the c.b.o. projects will leave one million more people uninsured, raise premiums by 20% to 25% over the next two years, and increase the federal deficit by $200 billion. listen, people, when we started this business of the affordable care act, as much as my friends on the other side who have the prerogative in the majority to be in disagreement with this measure as well as any other and offer this thing that ain't going nowhere yet today, the simple fact of the matter is some few years back we had 42

million americans that were uninsured. we now have more than 42 million americans uninsured. and that's wrong. i said yesterday in the rules committee, all of us, 535, the senate and the house and the six delegates, ought to be locked up here until we come up with a sensible solution for the american people with reference to a crisis. it was said yesterday by the chair of this committee that the plan that's going to be offered that we did offer and then they voted against would be the best health care plan in the world. well, it ain't the best health care plan in the world. the best health care plans in the world are in denmark and sweden and switzerland and australia and a whole bunch of other places other than america. and while the trump administration has pushed junk health care plans, even the organizations that originally lobbied the administration for

access to these plans, now say they no longer want to use them. all in all, as a result of these policies, as i've indicated, four million fewer americans have health insurance than when donald john trump took office and health care costs continue to rise unabated. i need not remind my colleagues that people in the united states pay far more health care -- for health care than in any industrialized nation on earth. in most cases, they get far less. we spend over 18% of our gross domestic product on health care compared to most other countries which spend less than 10%. with much of the disparity occurring thanks to higher drug prices and administrative overhead.

despite the money we pour into our health care, the united states has the shortest life expectancy and highest infant mortality of any modern industrialized nation. let me repeat that. the shortest life expect abcy nd the highest -- expectency and highest infant mortality of any modern industrialized nation. we have far fewer physicians -- and we better do something about that. not in this measure. not in the affordable care act. we better get busy how to figure out how to provide more physicians, more nurses, more research for a variety of measures that are oncoming that our nation is going to be confronted with. . we have fewer hospital beds and in what is perhaps the most demressing statistic of all in u.s. health care, the united states is one of only 13

countries in the world where the rate of maternal mortality, defined as the death of a mother in the year after she gives birth is now worse than it was 25 years ago. and here we are continuing to jawjack about something that ain't going nowhere and we have situations in our country that all of us know something about, all of us care about. there's no republican in the house or democrat in the house that doesn't care about their constituents and their health care and at the very same time, what we are winding up doing is arguing with each other and nothing is getting done. and that's just dead wrong for this country. black women in particular are three times more likely to die from health-related issues to their pregnancy. how can we pay for more health

care now than at any point in our nation's history and yet at the same time be getting worse care than we were decades ago? we have a fundamentally broken system the majority doesn't seem to have any way of fixing it and i'm not even sure that they want to fix it. indeed, they seem to be going out of their way making it somehow worse. i had a constituent call the other day to tell me i wasn't as liberal as his people were, liberal and that i didn't understand this whole health care system. and i told him listen, man, in 1992 when i ran for office i ran on the premise of universal health care for every american. period. and when we did the affordable

health care act it ultimately got called the obamacare act, i've said in the rules committee repeatedly it should have been called the hastings-obamacare act or perhaps we would have done what dr. burgess asked us to do and it would be called the burr jezz health care act. i don't care what it's called, it needs to be called something that's going to help every american and not just a handful and certainly not the richest people in this country who don't even need any health care. they've been at the socialized health care business for all of their lives. and therefore people like donaldtrump don't need to worry about this kind of thing. it's those people that are vulnerable. it's those people on medicaid in florida and other states that didn't expand medicaid. 900,000 of them in my state that are left to the mercies of the system. what do they do? all of us know what they do. when they have health care they go to the hospital, emergency room. generally speaking they are

treated and then those taxpayers in those respective jurisdictions wind up paying for it. so why don't we get our act together and try to do something about it now. i advocated for multiple pieces of legislation that will improve and strengthen the medicare system. including h.r. 676, the expanded and improved medicare for all act. which will provide all individuals residing in the united states and the united states territories with affordable health care including that which is medically most necessary. such as primary and preventative care, dietary and nutritional therapy, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, dental services, and vision care. underscore, preventative care.

if we did more in that arena, we wouldn't have as much of a problem as we do today. medicare for all will save taxpayers hundreds of dollars a month. now i firmly believe that we must focus priorities in the interest of the american people. to ensure that our citizens have continued access to health care services. so when we come back here in september, when we finish all of our fighting in november, and we have somebody that's going to get elected, 435 of us will return here and be sworn in in january. let's all make a commitment that we're going to work together, together, to get all of the resources, the tremendous minds, the incredible staffs that work here in this institution together, and try to make sure that we do the right thing by the american people and pass a measure that will cause everyone

to have affordable care. thank you, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the gentleman is quite correct in identifying the other body as sometimes an obstacle to good public policy. for it was one year ago that the other body blocked a health care reform that this body had passed the previous may. but mr. speaker, i want to draw the house's attention to an article in today's "wall street journal." the title trump care beat os ba macare. i want to quote a little bit from this article. that in december, to set the stage in december with the repeal of the individual mandate, quoting here, while many people did not realize it at the time, it turns out that mr. trump has been helping to

improve an important source of insurance coverage since virtually the moment he took office. continuing to quote here. by prioritizing economic growth and reducing the tax and regulatory burden on the united states businesses, mr. trump has helped create an economy with more job openings than ever before and as if by magic, the invisible hand of a freer marketplace is now generating new benefits as employers compete to fill those open positions. continuing to quote here, for the first time in six year the share of united states workers offered health insurance through their employer has risen, a sign that the tighter labor market is prompting businesses to offer more generous benefits. so mr. speaker, i simply submit that the activities of the trump

administration have indeed improved the health care landscape in this country. that's something we should acknowledge and embrace. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, if we defeat the previous question, i'm going to offer an amendment to the rule that would change the rules of the house to prevent any legislation from being considered that would reduce the guaranteed benefits for individuals enrolled in either medicare or medicaid programs. and i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record, along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: i urge my colleagues to vote no and defeat the previous question so we may protect these critical programs for this generation and the

next. mr. speaker, i would be prepared now to advice my colleague from texas that i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close when and if he is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: the gentleman from texas is prepared to close as well. mr. hastings: i yield myself the blans of the time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: in closing, this place, the people's house should be about approaching our congressional responsibilities and daily activities in a manner that is fair and respectful to all americans. in a manner where the appropriate committee of jurisdiction holds hearings and markups. in a manner where experts in the field are respected and consulted. in a manner where members of both political parties have the ability to offer amendments and

debate the contents of bills that come to the house floor. unfortunately, in this historically closed off republican-run house, that is not the case. let me make it very clear, even though in the ways and means and appropriations committee as a matter of practice we allow for closed rules, we now have, with these three rules that are likely to be finished today, we ave 95 closed rules. this is 2018 and not in the history of the people's house . s the process been as closed when the speaker of the house began the session he indicated

it would be the most open session we would have. yet it is not the case. i spoke earlier about immigration and i saw this morning where the majority leader has determined even though having promised his own conference that he would have a vote on immigration, he ain't going to do it. now something is wrong with this process. and it needs to be corrected and we can correct it going forward. we will make 100 and then we will be historically referenced as the most closed congress in the history of the united states of america. what we see from my friends across the aisle, bending over backwards to reward a very specific and elite constituency. weak after weak. the powerful gun lobby is rewarded as republican leadership refuses to bring up even the most commonsense gun violence prevention legislation.

the next week, like today, the powerful medical insurance lobby chalks up a win as this republican-led congress votes in favor of special interests over the interests of hard working americans. some other people that make out like bandits that we talk about are the insurance companies. i can spend a whole hour talking about how they are benefiting while we're about the business of tying each other in knots with verbiage rather than with substantive legislation. mr. speaker, while there's no quick fix to any of these measures, not to gun violence, the opioid addiction the immigration problem, and ongoing foreign cyber attacks on our election systems infrastructure, we simply must engage in the complicated and difficult process of improving our country's current policies.

i, as well as my colleagues on this side of the aisle, stand ready to work with members of congress to bring commonsense legislation to the floor that will benefit all americans and not just the rarefied few. mr. speaker, i'm going to urge a no vote on the rule and a no vote on the previous question and i'm going to yield back the balance of my time with the reference that this measure we're debating here today ain't going nowhere. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognize. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself the balance of ur time. the gentleman from florida is making a point about open rules. and i do feel obligated to point out in the 111th congress, that was the congress that was the first two years of president obama's administration. in the 111th congress, under

speaker pelosi, the majority had zero open rules. that's zero open rules in the two years in which we saw the passage of the affordable care act, the passage of dodd-frank, the house-passed waxman-markey, which was a cap and trade global warming bill. so significant pieces of legislation passed the floor of this house, all under closed rule. but mr. speaker, today's rule brings forward two pieces of legislation that will have a meaningful impact on american's health care costs, including the pleemyummingtheans prices they pay for medicines. h.r. 184 the protect medical innovation act of 2017, which will repeal the affordable care act's ill-conceived medical device tax and h.r. 6311, the increasing access to lower premium plans and expanding health savings account act of

2018, which will provide greater freedom for americans to use their own money to pay for medical expenses out of their health savings account. both of these build on the house's work over the past two years to make health care a more patient-centered market. i certainly want to thank representatives paulsen and roskam for their work on these measures, i urge my colleagues to support today's rule and move the debate forward on this legislation, with that, i yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on ordering the pleeves question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. mr. hastings: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 1012, and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 174. house resolution 1012. resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h.r. 6199, to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to include certain over-the-counter medical products as qualified medical expenses. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on ways and means now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 115- 82 shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be

considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means; and (2) one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 2, on any legislative day during the period from july 27, 2018, through september 3, 2018, a, the journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved, and, b, the chair may at any time declare the house adjourned to meet at a date and time, within the limits of clause 4, section 5, article i of the constitution, to be announced by the chair in declaring the adjournment. section 3. the speaker may appoint members to perform the duties of the chair for the duration of the period addressed

by section 2 of this resolution as though under clause 8-a of rule i. section 4. each day during the period addressed by section 2 of this resolution shall not constitute a calendar day for purposes of section 7 of the war powers resolution, 50 u.s.c. 1546. section 5, each day during the period addressed by section 2 of this resolution shall not constitute a legislative day for purposes of clause 7 of rule 13. section 6, each day during the period addressed by section 2 of this resolution shall not constitute a calendar or legislative day for purposes of clause 7-c-l of rule 22. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. for the purposes of debate only o, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from california, mrs. torres.

pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to .evise and extend their remarks the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: house resolution 10 12, pro-- 1012, provides for the consideration of an important bill to return control of health care spending and budgeting back where it belongs, with the patient. h.r. 6199, the restoring access to medication and modernizing health savings account act of 2018, would amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to include certain over-the-counter medical products as qualified medical expenses for the purposes of spending one's only dollars within a health savings account. today's resolution provides for

a a rule to allow h.r. 6199, the restoring access to medication and modernizing health savings account act of 2018, the standard practice for a tax related measure on the house floor. the rule provides for one hour of debate equally divided and controlled between the chair and the ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means. the rule does not, however, provide the minority with the customary -- rule does provide the minority with the customary motion to recommit, with or without instructions. also included in the resolution before us today are the standard provisions allowing the house of representatives to continue to operate while members are home working with their constituents during the august district work period. mr. speaker, i rise today to speak in support of the rule on h.r. 6199, the restoring access to medication and modernizing health savings account act of

2018. this rule includes the work of various members of congress on the important issue of modernizing health savings accounts. while this legislation did not move to the health subcommittee on the energy and commerce committee, my fellow members on the other health subcommittee, that of the ways and means committee, have done quality work in moving this package. each bill was reported favorably out of the ways and means committee. mr. speaker, i have been a supporter of increasing flexibility within our health care system, especially through the use of health savings accounts. health savings accounts allow patients to feel more involved and to have more control over their health care spending. as someone who has personally had a health savings account in the past, i believe it to be a powerful tool and qualified expense vs. been limited for too long. this package will give more power to consumers by allowing them to use their hard-earned savings that they put into their

health savings accounts on an expanded number of health care goods and services. the first bill in this package promoting high value health care through flexibility for high deductible health plans, introduced by chairman roskam, allows for first dollar coverage flexibility for high deductible health plans. many individuals, especially in the post affordable care act world, have chosen to purchase high deductible health plans. while this is a reasonable choice for many consumers, there are some who are faced with high out-of-pocket costs. h.r. 6199 allows health plans to provide coverage for up to $250 per year for individuals or $500 per year for families before they meet their deductible. -- the goal of this provision is to incentivize service that is could reduce future health care cost, such as primary care visits and telehealth services. additionally, under current law,

individuals who are unable to contribute --additionally under current law individuals are unable to contribute to an h.s.a. if they participate in a direct primary care service arrangement. representative erik paulsen's primary care ena act included in this rule -- enhancement act, included in this rureblings neighbors patients to participate in a direct primary care service arrangement, and remain qualified to contribute to a health savings account. it also includes direct primary care service arrangement fees as medical expenses. some individuals are fortunate enough to receive certain health care services at or nearby their workplace through their employer. representative mike kelly's bipartisan health savings account im3r06789 act -- improcket act of 2018, included in this package, addresses this issue. while it is convenient and helpful to have access to such

services, these individuals should not be barred from having a health savings account. this package creates a special rule that individuals can receive free or discounted services offered by their employee -- employers on site or at retail medical clinics. these services may include physical examinations, immunizations, nonprescription drugs, treatment of employment related injuries, drug testing if required as a condition of employment, hearing or vision screenings, or other service that is are not considered significant -- services that are not considered significant benefits in the nature of medical care. the post affordable care act world is riddled with flaws. one of the biggest problems is its failure to promote consumer driven health care. expanding the use of health savings accounts could go a long way to reverse this trend. health savings accounts give consumers incentives to manage

their own health care costs by coupling a tax favorite account used to pay medical expenses with a high deductible health plan that meets certain requirements for deductibilities and out-of-pocket expense limits. the funds in a health savings account are owned by the individual and may be rolled over from year to year. health savings accounts are not a novel idea. they have been around since 2004. but current health savings account policy is extraordinarily restrictive, making it hearter for consumers to take advantage of them. i have spent several years in developing extensive reforms to increase the potential for health savings accounts for consumers. and h.r. 6199 includes meaningful improvements that we can get across the finish line now to help families now. one of the -- one of these

improvements is the ability for spouses to contribute to a health savings account under certain circumstance, even if their spouse has a flexible spending account. under current law, one spouse can reimburse expenses for their spouses and other dependent's medical expense, therefore the other spouse is considered to be ineligible for an h.s.a. this provision enables the spouse without the flexible spending account to reimburse for medical expenses with certain restrictions. this is critical as it gives individuals increased flexibility to save for their own health care expenses that a shared flexible spending account for the whole family may not provide. additionally, this bill allows for individuals to terminate or convert their flexible savings account and health reimbursement accounts into a health savings account under certain circumstances. employers would be able to allow

their employees to convert their flexible spending account and health reimbursement account balances into health savings accounts funds if they enroll in a high deductible health plan with an h.s.a. this is critical in empowering patients allowing them the flexibility to change health plans without losing their savings. there is a dollar limitation of $2,650 for conversions for individuals. $5,300 for families. and the funds transferred into the h.s.a. would count toward the enrollee's h.s.a. contribution for that taxable year. h.r. 6199, the bill introduced by representative lynn jenkins from kansas, makes commonsense patient centered reforms to help defray costs for individuals. over -- overcounter medications, allergy, cold medicines, pain relievers are historically ineligible expenditures for

h.s.a. and other tax favored health care accounts. the a.c.a. created a requirement in federal law that forces account holders to go to their doctor to obtain a prescription for over-the-counter medications before purchasing them with their health savings account or flexible spending account. individuals who failed to jump through these hoops and purchase over-the-counter medications without a prescription face a tax penalty for making a nonqualified distribution. this policy drives unnecessary utilization of doctor services and decreases access to over-the-counter medications and discourages people from taking control of saving for their health care needs. h.r. 6199 repeals this harmful provision, puts consumers back in the driver's seat, and allows them efficient access to appropriate medications.

lastly, this legislation permits individuals to invest their hard-earned health savings account dollars into their physical fitness and well-being. in many ways, income is a hurdle for individuals and families who would like to participate in a physical activity. whether they would like to pay for a membership at a fitness facility or pay for their children to join a youth sports league, this legislation opens the door for paying for such activities with health savings account dollars. known originally as a stand alone bill, the personal health investment today act introduced by representative jason smith, this allows qualified sports and fitness expenses to count as qualified medical expenses. these particular expenses are capped at $500 for a year for individuals. and $1,000 on a joint return. passage of this provision will assist individuals and families across the nation in investing in their physical fitness which

can lead them to healthier lives and stave off conditions such as diabetes and obesity. these bills are an important example of the work we're doing right now to advance member-driven solutions that will improve health care for all americans. congress should be taking steps to make it easier for americans to save not restricting their options. the rule and the underlying bills included in this pack an strengthen consumer power and increase flexibility for patients in paying for their medical expenses. i appreciate all the work members have put into the provisions of this bill. i urge my colleagues to support today's rule and the underlying legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized.

>> mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she wishes to use. ms. fores re: thank you, mr. speaker. -- mrs. torres: thank you, mr. speaker. $2 trillion. that's what this g.o.p. congress added to the debt last year when they passed their tax scam. $2 trillion that had been taken away from our children and grandchildren to give tax breaks to corporations and the very wealthy. and today we take up three bills. which are estimated to add another $100 billion. i suppose in comparison to the tax scam that may be small potatoes. but this is real spending with

no offsets. and no effort to even try to find an offset. when the 115th congress finally ends, we will have to put trillions on the nation's credit card. trillions. next year, those of us who may e lucky enough to be back will have the hard task of digging ourselves out of this hole. this wall of debt that will have been created by the 115th congress. we will have new members here who will need to deal with a decision that we are making here today. let me tell you about my experience in having to deal with those very irresponsible decisions that put us and push

us into debt. in 2008, when i was first elected to the state legislature a wall of ted with debt of $15 billion. $15 billion. my first 30 days in office we passed four different budgets and none of it added up. we simply couldn't pay our bills. we had charged ourselves to a place that we could no longer continue. no one got paid for six, seven months. no one. not the small contractors doing business with the state of california. not the big contractors. not our state employees.

not even the members of the legislature. as a matter of fact, i don't come from money so every month i took a loan to make my mortgage. and this is where the 115th congress is leading us. today. there are no easy choices. mr. speaker, this rule makes in order h.r. 6199, the restoring access to med case and mornedizing health savings accounts act of 2018. h.r. 6199 claims to restore access to med case and modernizes health savings accounts. this bill makes minor changes that largely favor higher income

earning individuals who can afford to set aside that extra money. for things like gym memberships. this is not, however, the worst bill we have voted on this year. and some of us may end up even voting for it. after all, i support fixes to the affordable care act. we all do. however, it doesn't -- it does not address the destructive actions by president trump that has disproportionately affected low income families. after nearly 70 unsuccessful repeal attempts by this congress, this administration has turned to chipping away at

the affordable care act. president trump has resorted to undoing key provisions of the health care law. without offering any working fixes. in ultimately puts jeopardy access to health care. he has eliminated the individual mandate which alone will ncrease premiums by 9% or 10%. and he is expanding plans that offer slimmer benefits and reduces consumer protection, also known as junk plans. as they cover nothing. health care plans that can charge you more for being a or for for being older having a pre-existing condition.

outright s can also deny coverage to anyone, putting 130 million americans' health care at risk. expanding these volatile health plans into the marketplace will also increase premiums between 1% and 4%. almost a year ago, the trump administration announced that they were canceling cost-sharing reduction payments. which helps nearly six million low income americans better afford medical services by lowering deductibles and co-pames. this alone caused premiums in 2018 to increase by 20%. all while this majority won't

an offset. find cutting cost sharing payment increased the deficit by $200 billion. the administration also recently cut additional outreach and consumer education dollars to local organizations by $10 million. and this is not the first time that they cut these critical dollars. from the very beginning of this administration, millions of dollars in outreach, customer and ance, and other help toal en-- total enrollment time was cut out. additionally, we are still waiting on a solution to combat the rising prescription drug prices. which was promised, promised by

this administration. the increasing costs of prescription drugs in combination with the forecasted increase in medical price inflation will also raise premiums between 5.7% and 6.5% next year. earlier this month, president trump announced yet another sabotage. that he will not make the $10.4 billion in brisk adjustment payments which will also increase premiums. these risk adjustment payments protect consumers by ensuring insurance companies don't cherry pick between the healthy and the sick. it was very telling last week when the ways and means committee chairman said that g.o.p. lawmakers were exploring the possible legislative fix to restart the risk adjustment

payments that president trump abruptly suspended. the house g.o.p. leadership knows the harm president trump is causing. why don't we do something about it today? the common thing here is an administration consistently undoing key provisions in our health care system, putting americans' health at risk, increasing premiums, which will fall squarely on the shoulders of our families. and will add billions of dollars to our deficit. this isn't the affordable care act. this is trumpcare. this bill is more of the same. instead of finding solutions for the families that need it the most, this bill will add $100 billion to the deficit. we should be spending our time making positive, meaningful improvements to our existing health care system.

that ensures millions of americans have access to affordable health care coverage. we should be discussing legislation that puts downward pressure on premiums so families don't have to worry year after year if they will be able to afford health care coverage. we should be helping to stabilize the marketplace so consumers can choose from a variety of options that meet their unique family needs. instead, today, we are sadly wasting time discussing a bill that fails to address the concerns of millions of americans. i am proud to be from california. a state that stands up for their residents to ensure that they have access to health care coverage. in fact, californians comprehensive outreach and marketing program was credited with lowering premiums by 6% to 8%, real money. california is proof that

effective advertising and outreach can increase enrollment, expand coverage, stabilize risk pools, and lower premiums. but this administration and throughout our inaction, congress is driving up health care prices for every american including californians. so we'll vote today on this bill and it will probably pass and then it will die in the senate. and while we send the senate more legislation, they will never take up, americans will continue to suffer. like i said, this isn't a bad bill. but it only benefit 6% of americans. 6%, not the 14% that lack health care insurance at all. we must do more. we must help those who are failing -- falling further and

further behind while this congress buries us in debt. and with that, i reserve the alance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the speaker: i have been direct -- the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed the energy research and innovation act in which the concurrence they have house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. once again, i want to draw attention to an article in -- an opinion article in today's "wall

street journal." titled of the -- title of the article is "trump care beat os ba macare," july 21, 2018, pened by james freeman. i'm quoting from this article, by prioritizing economic growth and reducing the tax of regulatory -- tax and regulatory burden on united states businesses, mr. trump has helped create an economy with more job openings than ever before. as if by magic, the invisible hand of the freer marketplace is now generating new benefits as employers compete to fill all of those positions. continuing to yet, mr. speaker, for the first time in six years, the share of united states workers offered health insurance through their employer has risen. has risen. a sign that a tighter labor market is prompting businesses

to offer more and generous benefits. continuing to quote. the trump plan is repairing at least some of the damage caused by obamacare. among all private sector workers offered medical benefit, 72% opted to take them. which is up from the 71% in 2010 when it began to decline. end quote. and again, mr. speaker, this is to point out that this is all occurring without a new government program. this is because the strength of the economy. this is what happens when you put your focus on creating good jobs for american workers. this is the benefit, the results. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from california is recognized.

mrs. torres: mr. speaker, if mrs. torres: mr. speaker, if we defeat the previous question, i will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up legislation h.r. 6479, which will ban junk insurance plans. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. and to discuss our proposal -- the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. torres: to discuss our propotional, i yield four minutes to the distinguished gentleman from california, mr. ruiz. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for four minutes. mr. ruiz: mr. speaker, premiums are skyrocketing across the country caused by this administration's sabotage of the affordable care act. just listen to the insurance company c.e.o.'s who are directly stating not funding cost sharing reductions for point of care for patients struggling to pay their bills

ill increase premiums and also by not outreaching to more people and low-risk individuals to come into the insurance pool, you are also increasing the premiums for everybody else. rather than making health care more affordable for all middle class families, this congress is focusing on making health care more affordable for the wealth yea few. instead of protecting the more than 130 million americans with pre-existing condition, this congress is sitting idly by as this administration once again allows insurance companies to shell junk plans to don't cover basic health care services. at a time when we should be stabilizing preums by supporting risk adjustment transfers and enrollment outreach, you are refusing to act simply ignoring the anticipated 18% increase in premiums for hardworking americans throughout our country because rather than help the american people, you would rather sabotage the affordable care act for your own political gain.

and this is wrong. i offer you and all the members of the house this choice. can you support the previous question, ignore the people who will be priced out of health care and ignoring all the politically motivated actions by this administration to undermine access to affordable health care in our nation, or you can tea feet the previous question so that we can bring up my bill, h.r. 6479, the stop junk health plans act, which will lower costs and will ensure that americans continue to have access to high quality health plans. in general, there are three out of pocket, or more than three out of pocket costs. one is premiums, two is a deductible. three are the co-pays. four are the out-of-pocket costs will you have to pay if your health insurance doesn't cover those specific services. so only focusing on premiums is a message deception. you see with junk plans, that will increase out-of-pocket costs for patients because these

junk plans may offer you a less expensive premium, however the deductibles will be too expensive. also, if you go after the essential health benefits and allow insurance companies not to cover things like emergency care, mental health, or prescription drugs, then you will be responsible for those out-of-pocket costs. also, if you do not defend the protections of people with pre-existing illness he and insurance companies are able to discriminate against those with diabetes, heart conditions, asthma, etc., those individuals will have to pay more overall out-of-pocket costs either because they were denied or because health insurance companies will be able to charge them an exorbitant amount of money. this is why it's so important to keep patient out-of-pocket costs in perspective. not just focus on the political messaging tools of narrowly focusing on premiums because you

can buy a low-cost premium health insurance, but again, if it doesn't cover, if it doesn't cover mental health, prescription drugs, emergency care, or other forms of guaranteed coverage under the affordable care act, then you are going to have to pay that completely out of pocket. if you don't protect patients with pre-existing illness, that's 180 million people in this country who have pre-existing illness who is have to pay more out of pocket. therefore, we must focus and stabilize the health insurance market. we must lower insurance costs by increasing enrollees into the insurance market by low risk individuals. we must protect essential coverage and protect people with pre-existing illness. and we must lower drug prices and the cost of overall care. i urge all my colleagues to make the right choice and the only choice that supports the american people in this case, the out-of-pocket costs. i urge you to defeat -- 10 seconds.

mrs. torres: 30 seconds. mr. ruiz: i urge you to defeat the previous question. i urge you to do the right thing to think strategicically and think about the overall out-of-pocket cost, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. burgess: i was serving in the united states house of representatives when the congressional democrats passed the affordable care act. i was serving in the house of representatives when the implementation of obamacare happened at the end of calendar year 2013. i got to tell you something. the president told me i had a junk insurance plan. i was covered by a health savings account in those years. the president told me, then president obama, told me i had a junk insurance plan and that i was going to get something better. i got to tell you something, i didn't get something better.

i went through health care dot gov. i bought an unsubsidized policy. i bought on price. what's the cheapest thing can i afford? that's the bronze plan. the premium was unbelievable. it was three times what i had paid for a premium before for my so-called junk insurance, which i had for years, which had covered every medical contingency that occurred in my family's life for a number of years. now i have to buy this policy that the premium sun believably high. but that wasn't the worst part, mr. speaker. the worst part was the deductible. i had a health savings account. i bought one as soon as the old medical savings accounts were allowed with the passage of the kennedy-castle balm bill, july of 1996. the rules got written the next year. people were allowed to buy

medical savings accounts. i converted to health savings account in 2004. i thought i knew what a high deductible was. that was the whole purpose of having that medical savings account and now health savings account. you have a higher deductible so your premium will be lower. my premium certainly wasn't lower. but that deductible was something unlike anything i had ever seen. i went from a 3d,500 deductible in my old health savings account with what then president obama said was a junk insurance policy, i went from a 3d,500 premium to a $6,800 premium for just an individual. this is not a family policy. just for an individual. let me tell you something, mr. speaker, someone wakes up at 3:00 in the morning with a kidney stone, worse pain they ever had in their life, they go to the emergency room, basically to get a shot of morphine and appointment with urologist the next day and hopefully pass the darn thing, that exercise can can cost in excess of $4,000. if you've got a $6,800

deductible, guess what? that's all on you. your coverage is meaningless at that point. and at the same time you're having to pay a very expensive premium for coverage that is not there when you need it. that in my definition, i'm not an expert on this, mr. speaker, but i would call that junk insurance. that's what then president obama and the congressional democrats brought us with the passage of the so-called affordable care act. i'd rather rather -- father rather go back to those days. most people don't understand why it is they have less coverage now and it costs them more money. yeah, they heard the argument, if you like your doctor, you can can keep your doctor, if you like your coverage, can you keep your coverage. they recognize that was political hyperbole. but what they don't understand is why i have to pay so much more now to get so much less? mr. speaker, i submit that the ability for individuals to buy health savings accounts, that's not junk insurance. that's coverage that people could use.

that's help for right now. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time. the gentlelady from california is recognized. mrs. torres: mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is prepared to close. the gentleman from texas. prepared to close? the gentlelady from california is recognized it close. mrs. torres: mr. speaker, in the first 12 months of this administration, 3.2 million people have lost their health care because of the sabotage of this administration. as a matter of fact, last year, we had the highest increase in a number of uninsured since the a.c.a. was passed. when the a.c.a. was passed, i was not in congress. i was a state legislator in california. where we embraced the a.c.a. where we made it work for our families.

where we reached out to our constituents and asked, how can we make it better? this is not the ceiling, this is the floor. and as state representatives, we felt that we had an urgency to act and to make it better and make it work for our constituents. and that is what we did. and that's why the california exchange is so successful. but that didn't happen in other tates controlled by republican legislators and republican governors. unfortunately, they chose to do the opposite. and that has hurt their constituents. mr. speaker, the bill we're considering today will add another $100 billion to our

national debt. that's not a small thing. when the bill comes due for this expenditure, how are we going toe pay for it? what's the plan? where's the budget? where's the fiscal curvecy -- conservecy here? will the house g.o.p. majority then go after the least fortunate americans by cutting medicaid? or maybe they will go after american seniors and cut edicare and social security. these are the questions people will be asking themselves when they exercise their american civic duty this fall. americans will have to despite

-- decide, are trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy corporations worth it to me if it means 245 i can't go to the doctor -- that i can't go to the doctor? that is why we have to offer real solutions. and we could start by paying for these bills today. i urge my colleagues to oppose the previous question and the rule because we owe it to our future generations who will have to answer for our actions here today. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california, mrs. torres, yields back the balance of her time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas for the remainder of his time. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. first off let me speak, mr. speaker, let me reference an article from investors business daily from april 10 of this year. quoting the investors business

daily, when the congressional budget office released its updated budget forecast, everyone focused on the deficit number. but buried in the report was a congressional budget office's tacit admission that it vastly overestimated the cost of the trump tax cuts because it did not account for the strong economic growth that they would generate. continuing to quote, among the many details in the report, one report focused on was that the congressional budget office forecast with the federal deficit would top $1 trillion in 2020. most of the news accounts blamed the tax cuts. continuing to quote here, but there is more to the story that the media overlooked. the c.b.o. revised its economic forecast sharply upward this year and next. last june the congressional budget office said, g.d.p. growth for 2018 would likely be just 2%. now it figures that growth will be 3.3%.

this was last april, mr. speaker. i suspect it's probably going to be higher at the end of this quarter. a significant upward revision. continuing to quote, it boosted its forecast for 2019 from a meager 1.5% to respectable 2.4%. mr. speaker, tax cuts are working to boost economic growth. obviously the story is far from completed. but the revenue generated by that increased growth is more than enough to offset the tax cuts that were passed by this body last december. mr. speaker, today's rule allows the house to take another step in fixing the problems created by the affordable care act and returning control of health care spending back to patients where it belongs. h.r. 6199, the restoring access to medication act of 2018, will allow those americans with health savings accounts to use

those accounts to pay for over-the-counter medications, a practice which existed up until the democrats took away that ability in the affordable care act. this is the right thing to do. i want to thank representative jenkins for her leadership on the legislation and the members who have contributed to the package before us today. i urge my colleagues to support today's rule and support the underlying bills. with that, i yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. the gentlelady from california. mrs. torres: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 8 and clause

9 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on ordering the previous question on house resolution 1012 will be fol ehloed by five-minute votes on adoption of house resolution 1012 if ordered, ordering the previous question on house resolution 1011 and adoption of resolution 1011 if ordered. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 224. the nays are 184. the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the gentlelady from california. mrs. torres: mr. speaker, i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote's requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute,

inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 228. the nays are 179.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 229. the nays are 179. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. he house will come to order. he house will be in order.

the chair asks that the house now observe a moment of silence in the memory of officer jacob j. chestnut and detective john gibson of the united states capitol police who were killed in the line of duty defending e u.s. capitol on july 24, 1998. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on ordering the previous question on house resolution 1011 on which the yeas and nays are ordered.

the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 173, house resolution 1011, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 184, to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on medical devices and providing for consideration of the bill, h.r. 6311, to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 and the patient protection and affordable care act to mod fight definition of qualified health plans for purposes -- modified definition of qualified health plans for purposes and to allow individuals purchasing health insurance in the individual market to purchase a lower premium cover plan. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on ordering the previous question. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the gentleman from florida. mr. hastings: i ask for a

recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 224. the nays are 184. the resolution is adopted.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 225. the nays are 184. the resolution is adopted. without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. pursuant to clause 8, rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a

recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. roskam: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1201, the equitable access to care and health act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1201, a bill to amend 5000-a of the internal revenue code of 1986 to provide an additional religious exemption from the individual health coverage mandate, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam, and the gentleman from california, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. he house will be in order. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all

members may have five legislative days to revise and and include remarks extraneous material on h.r. 1201, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. roskam: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm very happy to see this bipartisan bill is getting a vote today. h.r. 1201, the each act, or equitable access to care and health act, introduced by my colleague, mr. rodney davis from illinois, provides commonsense relief from obamacare's mandate to purchase insurance from those that object on religious grounds. the bill extends the religious conscience exemption from obamacare's individual mandate to those individuals that rely solely on religious method of healing. receiving medical help services as we traditionally think of them is inconsistent with the religious belief of christian scientists. this bill says that for people

who choose not to use traditional health care or service, they are fully exempted from the affordable care act's requirement to buy inshunchese. -- buy insurance. for christian science f. they bought the insurance plan, they wouldn't use it anyway. if you don't believe in something, why should the government force you to participate? in health care, so many of our choices have been restricted because of the affordable care act's domino effect across the entire health care sector. the each act takes a step in the right direction by restoring freedom for people who had to face a dire decision of either violating their conscience by purchasing under obamacare, or violating the law. it's an unfair position that the law should not put them in. i hope we can finally resolve this by passing the each act today. we come together to help those who have been hurt by this intrusion into their lives. this bill has widespread and bipartisan support. in fact, the house passed a similar bill last congress by

voice vote. what's more, passing the each act will reduce the deficit by $31 million. mr. speaker, thank you. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves his time. the gentleman from california. mr. thompson: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. thompson: thank you. the house has passed this bill before making clarifications on the existing religious exemptions for health care. i understand that religious groups have important health care concerns that must be taken seriously. i support this bill, but we should be talking about issues and health care that our constituents are bringing up to us every day. like the skyrocketing prescription drug costs. like increasing premium costs. and threats to guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions.

a direct result of efforts by my republican colleagues. the trump administration continues to raise costs and reduce access to affordable health care in its never-ending effort to sabotage the affordable care act. in just the last few weeks, the administration has refused to defend protections for americans with pre-existing conditions. stop risk adjustment payments to health plans covering sicker patients. and again slash payments to the navigators that help people access health care insurance. these and many other misguided efforts are raising the costs for those americans who need health care coverage the most. we should be examining and responding to this growing threat to affordable care. not ignoring it. i encourage my republican colleagues to bring to the floor bills that truly address the health care costs crisis that

middle class americans and seniors are facing. after all, that was their promise to our constituents. in 2015, the president promised, and i quote, we're going to terminate obamacare. we're going to terminate it. it's going to be terminated. it's going to be replaced with something much better and something much less expensive for you and for the country. republicans and the president have failed to present the public with a better plan, and they failed to drive down the cost to patients. as a matter of fact, their work has driven costs up. the cumulative a.c.a. sabotage by the republican congress and the administration are adding as much as 24% of health care premium increases in my home state of california. so now they should work with us to strengthen and protect existing programs so that our

constituents can go to the doctor when they need to or get a surgery or a drug that their lives depend on. as members of congress, this is our responsibility. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. the good news for my friend from california is tomorrow he'll be having an opportunity to vote on bills that will lower the cost of health care with the health savings account agenda that is forthcoming. with that in anticipation i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, a long-standing advocate on behalf of christian scientists and who has tried to bring rescue to them. i yield him two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. smith: i thank the gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam, for yielding me time. i thank another gentleman from illinois, rodney davis, for introducing this legislation. the equitable access to care and health act is a bill i strongly support. it expands the religious

conscious exemption in the affordable care act. the bipartisan legislation has broad support in the house and in the senate. it has passed the house by voice vote in the last two congresses. the a.c.a. currently provides for a religious - sense exemption, but it is unduly narrow and only applies to a a few faiths. this exemption should be expanded to accommodate other religions whose sincerely held religious beliefs could cause them not to purchase health care insurance. . the c.b.o. now estimates that the bill will result in about $30 million in cost savings. i hope my colleagues will support this piece of legislation. it will help advance the cause of religious freedom, and i'll yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. thompson: thank you. i just want to mention that my

friend from -- and committee member was half right for tomorrow's vote. we'll vote on health care bills tomorrow, and they are bills that will help, but they'll help people that either have the money to pay for health care or people who are healthy. not the folks who are needing access to quality, affordable health care. and i'd be remiss if i didn't point out that contrary to this party's position for decades, these bills aren't paid for, and they're going to cost at about $70 billion worth of costs to our national debt. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: i yield five minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, is recognized for five minutes. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, mr. roskam, for your leadership on this issue. i also want to thank my

colleague, mr. thompson from california, because this bill that we're talking about today s and has been rite with nothing but -- rife with nothing but bipartisan support. we can correct this no matter what the bill, not matter what some of the outlying issues of implementations of certain laws may or may not affect our constituents and how they do so but the fact that we're trying to fix this once and for all for many in this country is a testament to what good happens here in a bipartisan fashion. i also want to thank the chairman of the ways and means committee, kevin brady, my good friend, for his continued leadership on this issue and helping to make sure this bill comes back to the floor. this congress has an opportunity to continue the bipartisanship i just talked about and promote religious liberty and fairness by passing the each act, because the each act modestly expands the religious conscious exemption

under the affordable care act to include individuals who rely solely on religious methods of healing. the current religious conscience exemption under the affordable care act exclusively applies to only a few select faiths. as a result, some americans, including christian scientists, are required to purchase medical health insurance that does not cover the health care of their religious practice and choice. they are therefore forced to violate their conscience by purchasing traditional health insurance or violating the law by not complying with any individual mandate. under the each act, applicants must attest that they are a member of a religious group, that they rely on a religious method of healing. additionally, this is a very important point, mr. speaker. additionally, with the help of input from the american academy of pediatrics, the bill makes it clear the legs does not

preempt any state laws requiring the provision of medical treatment for children. further, if a parent needs to provide a necessary medical service to a child, doing so would not invalidate the individual's exemption. the each act, again, is truly an example of bipartisan legislation with input from stakeholders that actually made it better. i'm proud to have worked with my friend and colleague, mr. keating, on moving this legislation forward. he knows this issue well. his home state of massachusetts established a similar religious conscience exemption in state law more than 10 years. i represent a college for christian scientists in elsea, illinois, one we have a few graduates of right here in congress, including the last speaker, mr. lamar smith. while working on this bill, i heard from both students and professors on the importance of passing this legislation and what it would mean to their lives. one such student wrote, i feel

religious liberty is such a vital part of the american exceptionalism that permeates worldly thought and the passing of this bill will only contribute to the commitment of our government to preserve that right. my family has paid excessive amounts for health care among other expenses that we do not use due to our reliance on the christian science healing for prayer. i do not believe christian scientists should feel they are being punished in some way for expressing their first amendment right. well, mr. speaker, i'm proud to stand up here today for their first amendment right. this legislation is about as straightforward as it gets. it promotes religious liberty and fairness and also saves the tax mears money. the congressional budget office estimated passing the each act would save taxpayers an additional $31 million if signed into law. the each act passed this house in both the 113th and 114th congresses but unfortunately was held up in the senate.

it's time that congress finally pass the each act out of both chambers and send it to the president's desk for his signature. i urge a yes vote and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time, and the gentleman from illinois reserves his time. the gentleman from california. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm prepared to close. do you have further witnesses? mr. roskam: we have no further witnesses. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: i recognize myself for the balance of the time and thank the sponsors for their work on this bill and i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. we hold conscience in this house tenderly. our founders were wise in the first amendment to the bill of rights, the first freedom they articulated was our freedom to worship. what you're hearing today is a bipartisan consensus that we value that and we recognize the

power of conscience, the power of religious liberty, the power of being able to worship as one pleases. and that's something that mr. davis from illinois is advocating today, mr. thompson is supporting as well, along with the long standing work of mr. smith from texas. passing this bill will give those that object to health insurance on religious grounds the ability to opt out of the system that they don't want to participate in its entirety. they won't have to face a choice between violating their belief or violating the law any more. i urge its passage and i you yield back. -- and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass and -- pass the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion

to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. roskam: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1476, the native american health savings improvement act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1476, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to permit individuals eligible for indian health service assistance to qualify for health savings accounts. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam, and the gentleman from california, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and tend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 1476, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. roskam: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to consume. mr. roskam: mr. speaker, i am happy to stand before you today as we consider h.r. 1476, the

native american health savings improvement act, a bipartisan bill introduced by mr. moll nar commonsense that changes. generally, anyone covered solely by a high deductible health plan is allowed to make tax free contributions to a health savings accounts but certain individuals that receive care through the indian health service this isn't the case. under i.r.s. guidance, an individual who's received medical services at an indian health services facility at any time during the previous three months is ineligible to make contributions to an h.s.a. this practice could discourage those who rely on care delivered at an indian health care -- indian health service facility from participating in an h. sfrlt a. this should -- h.s.a. this should be fixed so these enrollees can avail themselves to the benefits of health savings accounts. high deductible health plans, health savings accounts are

critical components of consumer-driven health care. together, they empower individuals and families to shop around. they unleash the power of choice and competition that are so badly needed in health care to lower costs and improve quality today. these are the elements we need to encourage in the system if we are going to start bending the cost curve in the right direction. if we want to lower barriers to these types of accounts and encourage individuals who are eligible not to forego treatment at an indian health facility simply because of confusion over when they might resume contributing to their h.s.a. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves his time. the gentleman from california. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to consume. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, the house has passed this bill before. it allows individualsle

eligible for indian health services -- individuals eligible for indian health services to participate in a health savings account if they are enrolled in a high deductible health plan. i support this bill. we should be talking about issues in health care that strengthen our health care system for all americans while addressing the issues in the indian health service program. and that should be no exception to that today. given the important role, i.h.s. plays, providing primary care to our native american population, we should be working to ensure that all participants in i.h.s. have access to high quality care. reports of underfunding and resulting substandard care need to be addressed so that all individuals in this health care program we make sure it serves the benefits from the congressional action we take, not just those that happen to

have the money to put an h.s.a. to -- to pay for an h.s.a. we shouldn't overlook the important role medicare and medicaid play you in providing health care to these populations. thousands of i.h.s. beneficiaries are also enrolled in medicare, medicaid, or some combination of both. republicans are looking to dramatically cut and undermine these critical programs. offering i.h.s. enrollees a savings account won't make up for damage inflicted by the cuts to medicaid or medicare. instead, we should strengthen both of these programs and coordinate care with i.h.s. to make sure individuals are getting the best care possible. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from michigan, mr. moolenaar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for five minutes.

mr. moolenaar: thank you, mr. speaker. and first, i want to thank chairman brady of the house committee on ways and means for his leadership on the committee and also mr. roskam and mr. thompson for their you support here on the floor today. i also want to thank ongressman raul ruiz for co-sponsoring this legislation and making it bipartisan. h.r. 1476 will improve access to health savings accounts for native americans who choose to receive care at indian health service facilities. by ending an unnecessary penalty against them. mr. speaker, if you or i were to use a health savings account we would be able to make a contribution to it the day after you receive care at a doctor's office. there is no prohibition on making those contributions. however, right now native americans across the country, including my constituents, cannot do the same thing if they receive treatment from a doctor at the indian health service.

instead, they're prohibited from immediately saving the money they earn and must wait for three months before they can make another contribution into the personal account they use to provide for their health and that of their family. this makes no sense. instead, this commonsense legislation eliminates the problem. if this bill becomes law, native americans will no longer have to wait three months. they will be able to receive treatment from indian health service doctors near them and save money in their h.s.a.'s whenever they want. this is a bipartisan, patient-centered solution to a government-created problem. it will benefit the saginaw chippewas in my district as well as tribes throughout michigan and across the country. it will help those who work hard to save money and take care of their families. i want to thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves.

the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i am prepared to close. do you have further speakers? mr. roskam: no further speakers. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: i yield myself the balance of the time. thank you very much to the sponsors of this bill and i want to give a particular shoutout to congressman raul ruiz, also dr. ruiz when he's not in congress, for his co-sponsorship of this bill and all the hard work that he's put into this effort and i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to cast an aye vote for this measure. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois. . mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. about 22 million americans are covered by high deductible health plans with an h.s.a. these are options that are increasingly popular across the spectrum because they lower premiums and they are a vehicle to save for other health care expenses. i think this is a good bill. it's been well articulated this afternoon, particularly by the

bill's sponsor and by mr. thompson and i urge its passage and i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1476 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the ponch the chair, 2/3 being in the -- in the opinion of the chair, twids being in the affirmative, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. roskam: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 519, the water and agriculture reform act of 2017 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the bill. the clerk: a bill to amend the code of 1986 to promote conservation and efficiency. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam, and the gentleman from california, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from illinois mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 519 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. roskam: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. roskam: i would be delighted to yield to mr. schweikert right now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. schweikert: i apologize for my tardyness, the speed of the elevator. i rise in support of h.r. 519 which would provide tax exempt irrigation companies with more flexibility in funding their operations and -- especially in drought stricken areas. these company ps are important to rural communities and to agriculture. these companies allow farmers, ranchers and others including water users and even some urban

water users to collaborate pooled resources to install and maintain vital infrastructure for the delivery of water. to maintain their tax exempt status, however, mutual ditch or irrigation companies must satisfy tax code requirements that the bulk of their income which is used to fund operations and capital improvements, must be from the shareholders of these irrigation water delivery districts. h.r. 519 allows these companies to receive other sources of income and still maintain their tax exempt status. the bill provides that for their income from other sources to receive the preferential tax treatment in general must be used for operations maintenance to ensure that these funds will be reinvested in irrigation infrastructure systems. this bill would provide mutual irrigation companies with more

resolution with respect to funding their operations, maintaining improvement to water infrastructure, especially in drought stricken areas and it will facilitate a more efficient allocation in rural economies. this bill clarifies that governance matters in regards to mutual ditch or irrigation companies may be an arrangement as permitted under the state laws. this bill supports local economies, promotes more efficient use of water, helps farmers, ranchers in many arid areas and is much fairer in understanding of how these resources are maintained and the ability to maintain these districts under the understanding of the current tax code. and with that, i would like to yield a couple of minutes to the bill's sponsor, my friend from colorado, to actually give a much more elegant explanation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from arizona will control the remaining time.

mr. schweikert: and i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: the bill before us will allow certain entities to retain their tax exemption so long as they are generally reinvesting that revenue in operation and maintenance including capital products. as a farmer from california i know well how critical water infrastructure improvements are to small irrigation districts. this change will help irrigation districts continue to invest in drought resilient projects instead of relying on rate increases. in states like mine, both drought-stricken and reliant on irrigation districts for water deliveries, infrastructure investment is a critical tool to help us prepare for future droughts. but we must also ensure that federal policy changes do not create unintended consequences

for water users. i want to thank representative buck and chairman brady for working with me to include guardrails in this bill that will eliminate financial incentives to transfer water among regions in a way that disadvantages agricultural enterprise, impairs water quality, or causes environmental harm. this protection against the potential for abuse resulting from the policy changes in h.r. 519 should prevent undue harm to my northern california constituents. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is ecognized. mr. schweikert: i want to thank the gentleman for his observation, he's been constructive and paid a lot of attention to protecting his constituents. those of us from arid areas care a lot about. this i would like

to yield four minutes to the gentleman from colorado, mr. buck. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buck: i thank the gentleman from arizona for giving me the opportunity to speak on h.r. 519, the water and agriculture tax reform act of 2017 and i want to thank mr. thompson for his work on this and making sure that this is in fact a bipartisan effort and a much better bill than it started out as. i also want to thank chairman brady and the ways and means committee for working with me to bring this bill to the floor. i introduced -- introduced this bill last year and chairman brady has been a good partner in assisting with its passage from the committee. farmers, ranchers and families businesses, sportsmen, everyone in my district relies on water for their livelihood but in the arid prairies, water is running short. under the blistering colorado sun, poorly watered crops wither and may die altogether. farmers are moving elsewhere because they don't have access

to water or can't afford it. agricultural communities around the nation will face economic crisis if farmers and ranchers can't afford water. h.r. 519 the water act is a key step toward solving this problem. it offers farmers and ranchers an affordable water supply. in doing so, it supports not only our agricultural community bus everyone in america who relies on farms an ranches for food. my bill seeks to help farmers by embowering them to support each other. many farmers rely on nonprofit, member-owned cooperatives to supply water. these mutual irrigation and ditch companies give farmers ownership in their water supply. however, current i.r.s. regulations prohibit nonprofits from generating more than 15% of their revenue from nonmember sources. if they exceed this 15% threshold they lose their tax exempt status. h.r. 519 responds by removing caps on how much revenue these water companies can raise from nonmember sources, allowing them for example to sell water access

for recreational use or raise funds through crossing fee. the only requirement is that this revenue must be reinvested in maintenance, operations and infrastructure improvements. keeping water prices affordable for members an upholding the nonprofit ideals of the cooperative. with this financial freedom, mutual irrigation and ditch companies can continue to play a vital role in supporting our nation's farmers. the bill also reforms the i.r.s. treatment of member voting eligible for cooperatives. proteblingting mutual associations that have complied with state law for years. by empowering nonprofit mutual irrigation ditch companies to raise revenue from nonmember sources, h.r. 519 will reduce the cost of water for cash-strapped farmer. i urge the house to help our rural communities an frankly all of america by passing the water and agricultural tax reform act. i yield back the balance of my tame. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona.

mr. schweikert: i have no further speakers and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. thompson: i am prepared to close. i yield myself the balance of my time. thank you very much to the sponsors of this bill, in particular congressman buck, for his good work working with me to ensure that we were able to take care of some concerns that we had in the original drafting of the bill. and i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for this piece of legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. schweikert: thank you, i yield myself such time as i may consume for a quick closing. in a previous life i was treasurer of maricopa county. we had 3,300 taxing driggets in this county. a substantial -- taxing districts in this county. a substantial number of those were these, irrigation and water districts. many were in the rural parts of my county but a lot of them, you'd be surprised, were in

suburban and even in downtown phoenix. and i have actually had a conversation with a couple of them of one saying if they had an excess water allocation that year could they sell it to the local pond, the little onservation reserve in our riverbed and those things. and if they did so, if that amount of money exceeded 15% of their revenues, would they blow up their tax status? and in this case, this legislation would prevent that but they still have to use that money to constantly improve their infrastructure, therefore i believe being more water economical. so this this is a good thing for our communities, particularly rural, particularly the uniqueness of those of us in the desert southwest and with that, i will urge my colleagues to vote yes and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 519 as amended?

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from kansas seek recognition? >> i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3500, the ensuring integrity in the i.r.s. work force act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 616, h.r. 3500, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 198206 prohibit the commissioner of the internal revenue service from rehire anything employee of the internal revenue service who was involuntarily separated from

service for misconduct. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from kansas, ms. jenkins, and the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. neal, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from kansas. ms. general kintz: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 3500 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jenkins: i yield myself such time as i may consume. today we are taking up h.r. 3500, ensuring integrity in the i.r.s. work force act, this seeks to provide additional safeguards in the i.r.s. by prohibiting the agency from rehiring any individual previously employed by the i.r.s. but removed from misconduct or terminated for cause. before we talk more about this bill i'd like to take a moment just to thank the bill's

sponsor, representative noem of south dakota, for her tireless work on this bill. last congress a version of this bill passed the house of representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support. this congress we made some small changes to the bill to address some of my colleagues' concerns and we hep they will continue to support the bill in its new form. . we are encouraged to see it in the first taxpayers act. as we all know i.r.s. employees have access to our social security numbers, home addresses and how much we'll pay. given the magnitude of the sensitive information that the i.r.s. holds, holding employees is essential to maintaining public trust in tax administration and safeguarding taxpayer information. n 2017, work by the treasury inspector general raised serious

concerns about the i.r.s.' continued practice of rehiring former employees with conduct and performance issues. the inspector general concluded that the i.r.s. does not have effective hiring policies to consider past employee conduct and performance issues prior to making a tentative decision to rehire them. this is the second such report that the inspector general has published. in 2014, the inspector general first alerted congress to this issue. and found they were rehiring past employees with significant performance issues. what kinds of conduct are we talking about? i.r.s. employees who threatened their co-workers, didn't pay their own taxes, excessively absent and so deficient in their job that the i.r.s. had to terminate their employment. there were also instances where

an employee accessed sensitive taxpayer information without authorization to do so. i think we can all agree those are not the types of people that the i.r.s. should be seeking to rehire. while congress has sought to signal to the i.r.s. through legislation such as the i.r.s. restructuring and reform act of 1998 and i.r.s. consolidated appropriations act of 2016, the i.r.s. continues to struggle. and this most recent finding suggests further congressional action is needed. we have a bill before us today which will guarantee that the practice does not continue and ensures greater integrity within the work force, something that i think all members of congress can easily support. with that, mr. speaker, i resevere the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. neal: i yield myself such

time as i may consume. today's debate reminds me of the words of will rogers, death doesn't get worse every time congress meets. he had a point during most of the past year, hopefully today will be an exception to the rogers' rule. we are taking up a good bill that would would prevent the i.r.s. from rehiring employees hat were previously terminated due to poor conduct or performance. all i.r.s. employees tend to be ethical and diligent public services. in recent years who have been asked to do much more with much less. that is what the american people deserve and expect from them and we all appreciate those efforts. the i.r.s. employees collecting our nation's revenue enable the federal government to pave roads, pay veteran benefits,

protect the environment, care for needy children and meet all of the other needs that our federal government asks. this is an enormous task. and we need intelligent men and women of integrity who will rules.ter our taxpayer most meet the standard with the utmost attention to their professional responsibilities. when we learn of situations that fall short of those high standards, or employees who have conducted dishonorbly, it is important to rectify the situation as soon as possible. the inspector general alerted us to a practice of hiring individuals with previously who violated that trust. during 15 ponts covering 2015 and 2016, they found the i.r.s. hired almost 7,500 people

cluding -- including 2,000 rehires. rehired of the employees were terminated or under investigation for substantiated conduct or performance issues. four of the more than 200 employees failed to file their wn tax returns and four were rehired and 27 failed to disclose a prior termination as required. these hires represent that a fraction of i.r.s. employees overall, it is important we rectify the situation swiftly to prevent this from happening in the futestur. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3500 and this should not diminish our respect for the men and women at the i.r.s. who serve the public with dignity

every single day. and i resevere. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from kansas. ms. jenkins: having no other speakers, i resevere. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. neal: i'm prepared to close at this time. i yield myself the balance of my time. let me thank those employees for their hard work and i urge our colleagues on both sides to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from kansas. ms. jenkins: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i would like to point out that this legislation has enjoyed wide bipartisan support in the past and for good reason. it is a bill that will build trust with the i.r.s. and integrity within the tax system. i thank representative noem for being a leader and sponsoring this bill. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3500. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: will

the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3500 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. bishop: i move the house suspend the rules and pass the improving social security service to victims of identity theft act as amended. the clerk: union calendar 619, h.r. 6085 a bill to amend title 7 of the social security act to

provide a single point of contact at the social security administration to individuals who are victims of identity theft. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. bishop and the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. neal each will control 20 minutes. mr. bishop: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 6084 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bishop: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. chairman. i'm pleased to be here today and pleased that we are considering this bipartisan legislation i introduced with a friend of mine from connecticut, ranking member larsion. ..r. 6084 this is an issue that is important to all of us in all of

our districts as you well know. mr. chair, the identity theft is a crime that is growing at very alarming rates around the country. supporting victims of identity theft is something i have long championed. as a former prosecutor, i gained a real understanding of what americans face in recovering from identity theft and other forms of exploittation. in response, i spent a large part of my legislative career working on victims' rights enensuring justice and i'm pleased we are considering h.r. 6084 today. mr. speaker, americans who are victims of identity theft often face an uphill battle when they contact the social security administration for help. these individuals find themselves being bounced from recording to recording, person to person, only to start all over again with each new person with whom they speak.

in many cases, an individual will speak to multiple people at the social security administration on phone and being told to go to a field office to resolve the situation. i just think that's wrong. these are victims of identity theft who need assistance from the social security administration in order to get their lives back on track. but too many of these victims are being revictimized by the social security administration's cumbersome and disorganized system. so it's high time the social security improves its customer service to victims of identity theft. that's why i introduced h.r. 6084, the bip legislation which would require the social security administration to provide a single point of contact at the agency to an individual who needs to resolve a problem with the social security administration because of the misuse of his or her social security number. this important bill will help americans get the assistance they need from the social security administration by

implementing a customer-focused process. i'm pleased to have the support of the aarp, the national council of social security management associations and the association of mature american citizens. mr. speaker, with that, i would like to ask unanimous consent to enter into the record statements of support for my bill from those groups. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bishop: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. neal: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i rise in support to provide needed assistance to victims of identity theft. the committee on ways and means has been engaged for some time on the issue of identity theft. in particular, we are stewards of the social security number, which is a target for identity thieves because it is the key of unlocking a stolen identity. identity theft is a growing problem and online hacking has

led to major security breaches in both government and in the private sector. americans of all ages, even children, are vulnerable to having their identity sfolen. this can wreak havoc on people's lives. one thing we can do, which we are doing today, to i make sure they can get assistance they need from the s.s.a. when identity theft has caused problems with their benefits or if their number has been severely compromised. for example, fraud steers have been able to steal an s.s. and file a fraudulent benefit application or false tax return. for some individuals, the theft of their identity creates such extensive damage they are forced to request a new social security number. right now, identity theft victims trying to resolve an issue related to the misuse of social security numbers may have

to contact s.s.a. multiple times speaking to several different people before the issue can be fully resolved. this legislation provides individuals with a single point of contact in the social security administration that will be responsible for resolving all social security-related issues in connection with the theft. this unit will be accountable to i.d. theft victims until completion and will track the individual's case and coordinate with other units to resolve all of these issues as quickly as possible. i certainly support this legislation, which was reported out of the ways and means committee by a unanimous vote. i urge support for h.r. 6084. and i resevere the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. bishop: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to one of the great leaders of this ped body, the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my good friend, representative bishop and ranking member larson for their work on this commonsense bill. i have heard firsthand how hard it can be for victims of identity theft to work with social security. recently, a man told me about his experience of someone trying to claim his benefit. first he got a letter from social security, telling him to call them about his claim. well, he hadn't made a claim. so he called social security at the number they gave him, and he never heard back. later when he tried to file a claim of his own, he ended up having to make four separate calls. then social security told him

they couldn't help him over the phone because of the fraudulent claim they said he had to go to a field office. as a result of all this hassling, he decided to just put off filing his claim. if this bill had been in place, he would have had someone at social security to help him. instead he got the run-around and having a single point of contact at social security for victims of identity theft just makes sense. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. . . the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. >> i'm prepared to close and yield myself the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support

this legislation. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan. >> i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> victims of identity theft in this country are facing an uphill battle getting assistance from the social security administration. mr. bishop: the disconnect at the social security administration isn't working for the american people. my bill would require the social security administration to assign a single point of contact at the agency to those who need to solve a problem with the social security administration because of the misuse of his or her social security number. this, simply put, is an important reform that will bring an added level of comfort to victims of identity theft and ensure they receive the quality care they deserve. in closing, i would like to thank ranking member larson for

assisting in this bill and joining me in offering the bill. and i also would like to thank chairman brady, ranking member neal and my fellow ways and means members for their support. i would ask all my leagues to join me in supporting this important bipartisan legislation. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6084 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4952, the improving seniors access to quality benefits act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4952, a bill to direct the secretary of health and human services to conduct a study and submit a report on the effects of inclusion on quality increases in the determination of benchmark amounts under part c of the medicare program. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. kelly, and the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. neal, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. kelly: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 4952 currently

under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kelly: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record an exchange of letter twoon the committee of ways and means and the committee on energy and commerce. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kelly: i yield myself such time as may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kelly: this bill, h.r. 4952, improving seniors access to quality benefits act, will allow us to take a deeper look at how the medicare advantage benchmark cap is affecting people across the nation. i have been working with mr. kind and other members to address this inequity that affects seniors in high quality plans across our country. the medicare advantage program was designed to give seniors a choice in their health care and utilize the private sector to provide better care and benefits. medicare advantage plans receive a capped payment rate to cover the patient's total cost of care. in order to encourage quality,

seniors enrolled in high quality plans receive a bonus pame that goes directly to seniors. this medicare advantage program is very popularring has been working well for many years. many many -- in my district in western pennsylvania, over half of medicare beneficiaries -- beneficiaries choose medicare advantage and nationwide medicare advantage enrollment has grown to 30% of medicare beneficiaries. that number is even high we are 48% of hispanics and 38% of african-american medicare beneficiaries choosing medicare advantage. unfortunately, the affordable care act implemented a cap on payments to medicare advantage lans. this misguided benchmark cap policy has affected 5. million american seniors who are being denied care coordination, vision, dental, and wellness programs. this issue has cost

seniors in my district and across the country millions of dollars in benefits that they are entitled to. we talk often about paying for value in the medicare program and this policy undermines that goal. the benchmark cap is clearly a problem and we need more information on it. the improving seniors' access to quality benefits act requires the secretary of h.h.s. to analyze and report to the congress on the impact of including quality bonus payments in the medicare advantage benchmark cap. it also establishes a sens of congress that this issue undermines the goal of delivering high quality care in the medicare program. it is my understanding that the department of health and human services has limited secretarial authority to make this change on its own. i hope to work together with the secretary on policies such as this to encourage high quality plans for seniors. mr. speaker, this legislation has broad support from many stake holders, including

america's health insurance plans, the better medicare alliance, the health care leadership counsel, meals on wheels america. the national minority quality forum. the alliance of community health plans. and many others. i urge the adoption of this legislation. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. neal: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i rise in support of this bill. more than 19 million medicare patients are enrolled in medicare advantage, almost a third of all medicare beneficiaries and that number is growing every year. this bill would require the department of health and human services to conduct a study and submit a report to congress on the effect of including bonus payments in the quality benchmark cap. the centers for medicare and medicaid services believes the

benchmark payments made to medicare advantage plans include bonuses medicare advantage plans may earn from delivering care that meets certain basic quality standards. on the other hand, plans argue that these quality bonuses should not be included in the benchmark cap. the medicare payment advisory commission recommended this that -- that this interaction be investigated. this bill will help congress come to a conclusion on possible solutions. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4952 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. kelly: having no other speakers, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. neal: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i yield myself the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania.

mr. kelly: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i hay consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kelly: it is estimated that the a.c.a.'s benchmark cap negatively impacts 40% of the counties across our country. the improving seniors access to quality benefits act wile require the secretary to fully evaluate the impact of including quality bonus payments under the geverages mark cap on our seniors residing in these counties. this bill was brought through the committee process in a bipartisan fashion. and now on the floor i strongly recommend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of h.r. 4952 to ensure seniors are not missing out on adegreesal health care benefits or reduced cost sharing as a result of the a.c.a.'s benchmark cap. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4952 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3

being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass c. . 6138, the a.f. transparency act of 2018. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. -- during the review of hospital outpatient payment rates during review of part b of the medicare payment plan and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california, mr. nunes, and the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. neal, each will control 20 minutes.

mr. nunes: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 6138, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. nunes: i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record an exchange of letters between the committee on ways and means and the committee on energy and commerce. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. nunes: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. nunes: ambulatory surgery centers provide patients with quality surgical care. thes payment transparency act of 2018 makes two simple, straightforward reforms. the bill adds a representative to the advisory panel on hospital outpatient payment for a ill allow a.f.c.'s seat at the table for future changes. this bill also requires the centers for medicare and medicaid services to disclose their criteria for inclusion or clusion of procedures on the

a.f.c. aproved tissue a.s.c. aprude list. these simple changes will continue to protect patient access to cost-effective, high-quality services performed in the a.s.c. setting. i hope that this legislation marks the first of many steps in further bolstering a.s.c.'s and patient access to high quality facilities. i want to thank chairman brady and ranking member neal and the ways and means staff for their work to provide transparency in this space. i would also like to thank mr. larson for his work and partnership on this important bill. i encourage all members to support this legislation. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. neal: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: the house has passed this bill before, making clarifications on existing religious exemptions for health care. i understand that religious groups have important health care concerns that should be

taken seriously. while i support this bill, we should be talking about issues in health care that our constituents bring up every day. skyrocketing prescription drug costs, increasing premiums and hreats to guaranteed coverage. increasing premiums, we're going to move right to it. i wanted to make those points. never losing the opportunity. thank you. this bill is pretty simple, mr. speaker. right now the centers for medicare and medicaid services, or c.m.s. is an advisory panel for hospital outpatient issues comprised of outside expert. the problem is it doesn't include representation of a.s.c. or its membership despite controlling a.s.c. payment issues. this would require the addition of someone from a.s.c. on the advisory patient on hospital outpatient concerns.

given that medicare pays a.s.c.'s over $4 billion a year, it just makes sense that a.s.c.'s be represented on the panel. the bill requires more transparency in determining what types of surgeries are safe to perform on an outpatient basis. over three million medicare ben fish us -- beneficiaries receive care for cataract surgery and other surgeries. this bill makes sure that medicare hears and bears the voice of the a.s.c. provide their so that millions of medicare beneficiaries can continue to receive the outpatient care they want. i urge support of h.r. 6138. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman yield back? the gentleman yields. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. nunes: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. nunes: i want to reiterate the small and important step we're taking. ambulatory surgical centers

provide care at a lower cost to taxpayers. while there's a bigger conversation that needs to happen about reimbursement, what we're doing is simple. a.s.c.'s are an integral part of the health care system and we're saying they deserve a seat at the table when changes to payment policies are being debated and when decisions are being made then services they are able to provide patients. we believe they should get a transparent explanation as to why those decisions were made. s that commonsense bill. i urge all my colleagues to support and with that, i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid the table

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. reichert: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6124, the tribal social security fairness act of 2018 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the stilet of the bill. the clerk: union calendar 620, a bill to amend title 2 of the social security act to and for e agreements other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington, mr. reichert, and the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. neal, each will control 20 minutes.

mr. reichert: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 6124, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. reichert: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. reichert: mr. speaker, i'm proud to rise today in support of my bill, the tribal social security fairness act. this bipartisan bill supports our communities' tribal leaders and access to the social security administration and benefits by ensuring that tribal governments have the same opportunity to participate in social security programs that so many others across the country rely on. it was unanimously approved by the ways and means committee in late june. this bill provides a simple solution to a problem facing tribal leaders across the

country, including in my home state of washington. in washington state, many tribal leaders have been paying into the social security system with the expectation of future benefits. however, a social security administration policy ruling issued in 2006 prevented them from continuing to pay into the program and have their earnings count toward future benefits. this problem was brought to my attention a few years ago. when i met with virginia cross. virginia cross is the chairwoman of a tribal council in washington state. after this meeting, we discovered other tribal leaders in washington and across the country face the same challenges including the snowqualmie tribe in washington. it didn't seem fair that those who wanted to pay into the system couldn't pay into the system. we went to work to find a

solution. thanks to the dedicated of the tribes, the leadership of fellow washingians, representative delbene, kilmer, we found a comprehensive solution to the problem. i would like to thank chairman brady and ranking member neal of the ways and means committee and their staffs for all the hard work they have put in on this most important bill. and i urge my colleagues to right this wrong so our tribal leaders can receive social benefits they deserve. at this time, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 6124 which closes a long standing gap in social security coverage for members of indian tribal councils. let me thank representative

reichert and representative delbene to resolve this issue. h.r. 6124 allows tribal councils to voluntarilyly cover their members in the way that our state and local governments do today. members can contribute to social security and medicare and therefore earn benefit protection. i want to emphasize that the decision to participate would be voluntary. each tribal council would have the right to decide for itself. in addition, because there has been confusion, it allows tribal council members to receive benefit credit if they areasonously paid social security taxes in the past even though they were not required to. i'm pleased the legislation addresses this. social security and medicare coverage are value youable protections and i'm pleased this bipartisan legislation is moving

forward and i urge support. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. reichert: i yield to mr. johnson from texas for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you. i want to thank mr. reichert, ms. delbene, mr. cole and mr. kilmer for introducing this commonsense bill. as chairman of the ways and means social security subcommittee, i held a hearing last year on social security coverage for some state and local governments. during the hearing, we discussed how state and local governments were initially excluded from social security. but over time, the law was changed to provide state and local governments the choice to

extend social security coverage to their employees. however, tribal councils don't have this same option. the i.r.s. and social security have ruled that tribal council members are not eligible for social security coverage. that isn't right. tribal councils should be able to participate in social security if they want to. the bill on the floor today fixes this by giving tribal councils the choice. i also want to be clear that this bill does not mandate social security coverage. tribes will still have the ability to make their own decision. this bill treats tribal council members fairly when it comes to social security benefits. and is a result of a request from several tribal councils.

i encourage my colleagues to support this bill. it's a bipartisan bill. and i thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back the balance of many my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close. i yield -- the speaker pro tempore: will the gentleman yield? mr. reichert: i do have one additional speaker that popped out of the floor. kneel kneel mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman from massachusetts reserve? kneel kneel i do. mr. reichert: i yield time to mr. schweikert two minutes. -- mr. neal: i do. mr. schweikert: being from arizona where i have 23 tribes,

21, 22 reservations, it is surprising how often this becomes the subject. and understanding how big and complex many of our tribal communitiesr we think our lives are sometimes complex, imagine how to operate in the world of multiple players, local, state and federal and local tribal issues, those things. and i was visiting some of my friends on tribal community called ca ak-chin. and one of the gentlemen said i'm on the council. i can't participate in social security. but before i was on council, i managed one of the tribal operations and i could participate. i know this is sort of a glitch. we create some options and we respect tribal sovereignty and we are doing the right thing

here. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. reichert: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: let me ask sheriff reichert fr he has any other surprises for us? mr. reichert: no. mr. neal: any other speakers? mr. reichert: no. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i'm prepared to close. i yield myself the balance of ur time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i want to thank the sponsors for their hard work and i urge colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. reichert: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. reichert: h.r. 6124, the

tribal securities social security fairness act is a straightforward, commonsense bipartisan bill and ensures our tribal leaders have access to social security benefits that they so deserve. i urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this bipartisan bill. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6124 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulsen seek recognition? mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 184, i call up the bill h.r. 1884 the protect medical innovation act and ask for its immediate consideration. the clerk: h.r. 184, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax

on medical devices. mr. paulsen: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the amendment printed in house report 115 as amended. he bill shall be debatable for one hour. the gentleman from, mr. minnesota, mr. sullsen will control 30 minutes. mr. paulsen: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to within to resize and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker and members, today the house will vote on h.r. 184 protect the medical innovation act which ll repeal the medical excise

task. the medical device industry is an american success story employing 400,000 people. in minnesota alone, more than 35,000 people are employed at almost 700 companies. mostly small companies you have never heard of of. many started by a doctor, engineer or entrepreneur, in the garage or back yard with an idea to help save someone's life. 0% of all medical device companies have less than 50 employees and 93% have less than 500 employees. and the jobs they provide are good rewarding jobs that pay above-average salaries. america is a net exporter in medical devices. but back in 2013, the affordable care act imposed a new 2.3 excise tax on all medical devices. 2.3% may not sound like much,

but it was a tax on sales, on revenue. and the government puts an excise tax like on tobacco, alcohol. why would we want to discourage medical innovation? only in washington would you impose a tax on medical devices and think you are going to help reduce health care costs. and the tax caused a loss of 29,000 jobs. with strong bipartisan support we have been able to eliminate this tax with suspensions. the last time we suspended, companies hired more engineers and technicians and putting more money in development projects. . but these innovators need certainty and predict county and a permanent repeal is needed to especially help startup companies where the next innovations will come from. investers will hold back capital in new companies when there's a threat of an excise tax,

starting back up. because it already takes eight to 10 years, mr. speaker, for these companies to become profitable in the first place. this tax raises the bar and makes it even more difficult for them to become profitable in the first place. i have had many conversations with companies that i represent in my community and what this excise tax means to them. i remember having a conversation with a medium-sized company own who are said that without this tax, they'd be able to have a few more projects online which meant they'd hire two more engineers and two more technicians. other companies that i've spoken to said they've been able to directly invest more in research and development, creating more high-paying jobs, invent better products, and ultimately it's about helping more patients. the good news, mr. speaker, is there's strong recognition that we need to eliminate this tax on a bipartisan basis because it's such bad policy. in fact, very few bills have such strong bipartisan support. 277 co-sponsors. 44 of those co-sponsors are democrats across the aisle. i pledge that i will continue

working with senator klobuchar in the senate across the aisle and my colleagues to get this over the finish line. because there are very few issues that would unite an elizabeth warren and a ted cruz. but this, mr. speaker, is one of them. and i would encourage all members to support this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. neal theal this -- mr. neal: this week has been dubbed health week on the house floor. however, based on the legislation we're considering, it's hard to take that challenge seriously. the bills before us today simply don't do very much. instead, we should be considering measures that go to the heart of what americans need. lower health care costs and high-quality care. that includes lower drug costs and prescription benefits that should be extended to all members of the american family, based on the following notion, that we should continue to make sure that pre-existing conditions remain part of the

affordable care act. more and more families are facing difficult health care decisions. all too often it comes down to not going to an important doctor appointment or cutting pills in half, or stopping the taking of prescription medicines altogether. this, coupled with other challenges americans face at home, like retirement security, addiction issues and education costs, will make it harder, not easier, for them to move forward. at home in western massachusetts, i hear about how people need to make complicated decisions for their families. congress can simplify these things by bringing bills to the floor that truly address the cost of health care without making consumers shoulder more of the cost and give tax benefits to the wealthy and leave patients with ever-growing medical bills. unfortunately i have not seen any efforts to address these growing costs in a meaningful way. instead, our republican colleagues continue to lead efforts to sabotage critical

health programs. this has led to more uncertainty for american families. this uncertainty also impacts the marketplace and leads to premium increases and adds to the burden for american families already having trouble making ends meet. instead of placing more anxiety on individuals facing discriminate for existing conditions, -- discrimination for existing conditions, we should strengthen already existing programs like medicare and medicaid. the legislation before us is another billion, billion, billions of dollars of unpaid tax cuts. this is on top of the $2.3 trillion this congress has already patsed into law -- passed into law, all with borrowed money. republicans are using the deficit, we they keep making larger, -- deficit, which they keep making larger, to justify the cuts. these bills will only intensify the calls for further cuts to those critical programs. american families need certainty.

what is happening to our nation's health care at the moment is anything but. it's another obstacle for families to get a leg up and ensure their children and grandchildren are safe and have opportunities well into the future. and the same is true for our seniors and those working to prepare for retirement. they should be in a place knowing they can retire without anxiety and have health programs they can count on in their later years. the bills before us this day do nothing to solve problems for everyday americans. instead, it leaves them further behind with increased health care costs, lower coverage, and it certainly sacrifices the quality of care they might receive. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from indiana, mr. banks, someone who represents a state that is steeped in medical technology jobs and who has been a leader in championing the repeal of this tax. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for two minutes. mr. banks: thank you. first of all, i thank the gentleman from minnesota who has

been the foremost leader in the house of representatives for a very long time to permanently repeal the medical device tax. and, mr. speaker, there are more than 7,000 medical device companies in the united states that contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy every year. these companies employ over 400,000 americans while creating life-saving technologies that benefit patients around the world. many of these manufacturers are located, as my colleague said, in my home district of northeast indiana. in fact, warsaw, indiana in my district, is known as the -- indiana, in my district, is known as the orthopedic capital of the world. there's no doubt this tax was incredibly destructive while it was in effect. data from the u.s. department of commerce indicates that 29,000 jobs were lost in the industry between 2012 and 2015. suspension of the tax has reduced some of the damage, but

the long-term investments and planning are impossible without full repeal. without permanent repeal, we will never be able to fully recover the jobs destroyed by obamacare and patients will continue to be denied new life-saving products. the protect medical innovation act will ensure that the medical device industry does not just survive, but thrives, and this commonsense and bipartisan legislation would permanently repeal the medical device tax and thereby remove a mindless roadblock to economic growth and patient health. i want to thank my friend, again, representative paulsen, for his tireless efforts on this issue. and i urge my colleagues to support passage of h.r. 184. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. neil neil thank you, mr. speaker. i want -- mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, congressman pascrell, who is a well-known champions of americans' health care plans.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for three minutes. mr. pascrell: i want to thank the ranking member. and i know the great intentions of the sponsor of this legislation, that is not in question. what is in question is that we have very, very short memories when it comes to health care. we made a commitment when we put the affordable care act together. we knew it wasn't perfect. obviously since we've tried to make some changes. but we haven't had much cooperation from the other side. it wasn't mindless. in fact, the medical device industry agreed to the conclusion. in sitting down in negotiations we started out with one thought in mind in regard to what we were talking about.

we shall pay for what we vote on. unlike some other legislation that will go nameless right now. we devised the affordable care act so that it could be paid for and we would not have to add to the deficit. in fact, one of these taxes, in order to pay for the affordable care act we are discussing right now, the medical device tax. started at 5%. and working with the industry, we came to a conclusion of 2.3%. so we went from $40 billion raised for the affordable care act to $20 billion. see, because we knew we had to pay for this. that's what health care is all about. and that's why you guys on the other side, you people, have not come up with an alternative. because you don't know how to pay for anything. so we paid for this.

the protect the medical innovation act. well, when the affordable care act was being crafted, the medical device industry, and by the way, the medical device industry is probably the most scrutinized industry in the united states. most of those companies, the 7,000 in the united states, most of them are good actors. but a lot of them were not. and 10 years ago i stood on this throor, mr. speaker -- floor, mr. speaker, and pointed out all the cases against the medical device companies who were being -- who were bribing doctors in order for those doctors to recommend the device. that's a fact of life. i didn't make that up. that's not a political injenks here. this is what happened. and you could shove it off all you want. if i have to come back to the floor on another occasion and cite chapter and verse in the

court cases, you won't be so happy. that's not my purpose today. what i am saying is they agreed to the deal. they knew that the increase in health coverage of millions more americans would directly increase the demand for medical devices. by the way -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. neal: i yield the gentleman two more minutes. mr. pascrell: by the way, mr. ranking member, many medical old s are sold to people like myself who are on medicare. and you continued to cut medicare and you will be cutting off your nose to spite your face. -- -- many of the devices congress most recently passed a delay of the medical device tax as a part of the continuing resolution. this extended the time they wouldn't have to pay a dime to the health system, through the end of next year, costing

axpayers $4 billion. nothing to sneeze at. additionally, this year the industry has stood to benefit tremendously for the reduction in the corporate tax rate. down to 21%. you didn't get that break and i didn't get that break. and there's nothing that will lead know believe these benefits will trickle down to help patients afford the devices they need to survive or lower the price of those devices in the first place, regardless of who's paying for them, out of what plan. this, to go back to the point, we put the a.c.a. together so that it would be paid for, that's why we had to come up with that money. and we did. so you couldn't repeal it and what you're trying to do is choke it to death. you're trying to bleed it. and what you're doing is forcing

more and more people. you just went for $-- from 20 million down to 17 million because of the subsidies that you wouldn't put through, that was in the law. because the demand -- because of the mandate that was originally in the law. and what is the alternative? silence. health issues, the biggest issue this year, mr. speaker, i'm glad i'm on the right side. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. paulsen: thank you, mr. speaker. contrary to some of the claims you heard a little bit before us about the bill doing nothing to help everyday average americans, i would remind members that this bill reverses a harmful tax that is hurting job growth and innovation across the country. access to good paying jobs and innovative medical products is critically important and i would argue that's really important for everyday americans. and i would agree also with what was said earlier.

americans need certainty. this is an industry that needs certainty if we're going to be able to invest in new innovations, new inventions to keep patients at the forefront of life-saving and life-improving technology to making sure health care is the model of the rest of the world. with that, mr. speaker, i want to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from utah, mrs. love, who has been a strong voice for innovation, not only in her state, but within our conference here in the house of representatives in repealing the device tax. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from utah is recognized for three minutes. mrs. love: thank you, mr. speaker. this is about medical tech noling industry and a manufacturing -- technology industry and a manufacturing success story. one of the last manufacturing enterprises in the united states. while the u.s. is the current worldwide leader in medical technology inowe -- innovation, that leadership is being threatened. i'm speaking to you today about medical device tax. this industry has a huge presence in utah and this unfair tax would have a negative effect on my district and the country as a whole.

in utah this industry has created more than 10,300 jobs. and contributes over $5 billion to the state's economy. recently we in congress have been focused on reducing taxes to make the united states a more attractive place to do business. but the medical technology industry would get a significant tax increase, even with the recent tax changes, industry gains would be neutralizeed by -- neutralized by this tax. under the 2.3% excise tax, medical device manufacturers would be required to pay the i.r.s. an estimated average of $194 million per month in medical device tax payments. in utah, the total is $90 million in annualized basis. for another it would be a $30 million expense. in a competitive global economy, this tax threatens the

industry that directly employs 400,000 americans and generates $25 billion in payroll, and invests nearly $10 billion in research and development annually. american companies represents 38% of the global market, and this looms over our nation's ability to innovate and stay competitive. as companies look to make cuts to offset the tax, research and development is often the first one to go. this undermines the future of the industry and puts discovery of new breakthrough medical technologies at risk. in other words, it's putting the livelihoods of people and their health at risk. according to the figures from the u.s. department of commerce, the united states medical technology industry lost nearly 29,000 jobs while the medical device tax was in effect. when the medical tax -- device

tax was suspended, most companies reinvested most of their savings into their innovative strategies and improving their united states facilities. but long-term investments have been postponed because of the threat that it might come back. r. speaker, it's been said that by repealing the medical device tax that we're going to be taking money out of medicare. that is absolutely ridiculous. as a matter of fact, there was a $700 billion cut to medicare to pay for the affordable care act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. mr. paulsen: i yield an additional minute to the gentlelady. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mrs. love: merit medical was planning on spending millions 401-k ry increases and workers but they can't. merit medical is planning a $60

million r&d facility but is now on hold because of the tax. utah, with the last suspension increase, r&d spending from 6% to 6.5%. they are going to be making payments. innovation will be stifled. this means less jobs for americans, less competitive america and the medical device you industry and potentially an increase in the medical costs for our constituents so that industry can pay for the tax. it's time to make sure we put money back into the hands of americans, american businesses and out of the hands of government. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: i yield myself one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mr. neal: anybody that don'ts now what $1.3 trillion tax cut means to medicare and medicaid down the road, that's a short-term view of where we're

headed in america. i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, my friend, congressman correa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. correa: thank you, mr. speaker. first of all, i want to say i represent the bonus state of california and i'm proud to say california was the first state in the union to implement, to accept the affordable care act. number of years ago. and when we did do, we knew it was a work in progress. after all, medicare continues to be a work in progress after 60 years. one of those areas we knew we had to change was the medical device tax. in california, there are over 1,000 medical technology companies, many of which are small to medium that employ more than 70,000 californians. many of those live and work in my district. and these are good-paying middle-class jobs. the research and development of groundbreaking medical technology helps improve

patient care and treatments, not only for americans but folks throughout the world. in recognition of the medical tax device's negative impact on innovation and investment, congress delayed its implementation on two separate occasions. unfortunately, the temporary suspension of this tax is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. if reinstated, this tax will impede future investments in domestic innovation and restrain job growth and since it affects technology, it takes a number of years, the uncertainty about the future of this tax will delay essential research and development and growth in many areas of the state of california. that's why repealing the medical tax device permanently will encourage economic growth in hiring in orange county and

in my area. the medical industry device represents jobs not only for the next generation but for the next 20 to 30 years in this country. madam speaker -- excuse me -- mr. speaker, therefore, i urge passage of h.r. 184 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from massachusetts continues to reserve. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. paulsen: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentleman for sharing his perspective from california. i think of minnesota and california and massachusetts and some other states that have a propensity of strong ecosystems of medical technology and those jobs we know are very, very important. we want to see those continue. i just want to mention, mr. speaker, what we don't want to go back to, because these were the stories we were hearing prior to our suspension, why we need to permanently repeal this tax. i remember spooking to a company in plymouth, minnesota. they were pretty clear. instead of 10 projects we're only going to have six projects funded with this tax in place. that means two fewer engineers, two fewer technicians while

that device tax was in effect. i talked to another company that was actually in texas. they had laid off an employee -- that had been employed after 22 years, and then they laid off 25 people, deferring a hiring of another 15 employees because of that tax being put in place. another medical company in shoreview, minnesota, told me they had to borrow $100,000 a month from the bank just to pay the device tax because the tax was on sales and revenue, not on profits. that's a high risk strategy, mr. speaker, in order to keep these companies alive. there was a company in new york that was frying to finance a new cancer therapy using gamma radiation and they struggled to raise the necessary funds that were necessary to complete the project because the medical device tax was discouraging investment in lifesaving innovation. then, mr. speaker, i remember having a conversation with an employee, someone from my district, and he came up to me and said, mr. paulsen, i have been employed at this medical device company for 21 years, a strong medical device

manufacturer. but because of the tax, i've lost my job. now, his family struggled at his new job because his wages were $40,000 less than where he was at before he was laid off, all because of that device tax. his vacation time was put in half and his health care costs also went up. mr. speaker, i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. paulsen: we have one more speaker. mr. neal: where do they keep coming from? are you recruiting them off the streets? mr. paulsen: it's a good debate. mr. speaker, i'll yield myself such time as i may consume while we wait for one additional speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker and members, let me remind folks where we're at now. you think about to 2013, 2014 when this tax was first put in

place. and we heard earlier from one of our colleagues who said, you know what, the medical device industry was a part of putting together the affordable care act. and they agreed to this. actually, that's a myth. it's not true. i talked to numerous medical device manufacturers, small, medium, and large, as well as the associations that said they had no part in agreeing. in fact, when this dollar amount was came up with as part of the affordable care act, they backed into it. there was some dollar amount assigned and that's how you backed into a 2.3% excise tax. just a reminder, an excise tax is a tax on your sales and revenue, not on your profits. and for companies that take eight to 10 years to become profitable in the first place, that's a high hurdle when you're trying to attract new capital, new investors in order to take the risk that this new technology is going to be successful. you already got to go through the f.d.a. you got to go through a rigorous process, go through the gold standard. then, you have to make sure that you're going to poe tensionly have c.m.s. --

potentially have c.m.s. offer reimbursement. so there is a whole host of risk factors that go in already when companies are starting up to provide medical technology and lifesaving innovation that goes out to help our patients. and the good news is, if we keep this industry strong in america, if we can repeal this tax permanently, we'll not only be improving health care outcomes around the world, we'll keeping those jobs here. we'll be keeping the headquarters here in the united states. so it's not just some of the tax reforms we passed, mr. speaker. it's about giving more certainty and more prodictibility by repealing a tax -- predictability by repealing a tax that never should have been there in the first place. i think a vote today in the house and potentially once again in the senate, i think the last time we had a vote leading up to president obama signing temporary suspension of the device tax, we had enough votes in the house to override a presidential veto. that's what got the attention

of the senate. that's what got the attention of the president at that time. and we actually made it the law of the land. two-year suspension. we renewed another two-year suspension. now is the time, mr. speaker, is to actually make this permanent, to put ourselves in position to make this repeal permanent. we put ourselves in position where we can guarantee that american innovation is going to be strong and steadfast for years and decades to come. we can keep this american success story alive. we've got a host of other challenges, i know, as we look towards the medical device industry. we have a hearing going on right now on trade, for instance. we don't need to do anything else for potential tariffs and quotas in areas that put additional uncertainty on this industry, on these high-paying, high-quality jobs. this is one initial effort that we can take today on the house floor with a strong bipartisan -- strong bipartisan vote to making sure a permanent repeal is also the law of the land.

mr. speaker, i'm looking around for my colleague from indiana who i think is on the way right now. so i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman -- will the gentleman suspend? members are reminded to take their conversations and phone calls off the floor. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to address the reference my friend from minnesota offered a moment ago when he referred to the device tax as mythology. i negotiated that agreement with the industry. they asked for the following -- that it be applied to foreign competition. we said yes. this was done in speaker pelosi's office with the industry. they suggested at the time that 2.3%. tax be cut to we went along with that even though the united states senate had sent over a revenue package

of $40 billion. we cut it by $20 billion. so that wasn't mythology. it was the way the institution once worked, how we negotiate, go back and forth, discuss, and then come to rational conclusions that might help and acknowledge the 20 million more americans that have coverage now under the affordable care act. 20 million americans. i want to say something on this point, mr. speaker, if i might. in the state of massachusetts, you know what we're really proud of on this day? 100% of the children in massachusetts are covered with health insurance. 97% of the adults in our state are covered with health insurance. it's a remarkable statistic, and it's based on some measure of the negotiations we did with respect of industries to get this legislation over the goal line. so i know exactly what happened here. and i understand fully what negotiations mean, but we

rejected the $40 billion price tag that came from the u.s. senate, cut it in half and said that to the industry, this is, we hope and expect your share of making sure that 20 million more americans have health insurance. that's what this issue is about -- accessibility, earlier stages of prevention, getting people into health insurance earlier in life. that's precisely what we did with the affordable care act. and let me just say this, if i might, as well. let me talk about the mandate -- while they're waiting for their next speaker to arrive. here's what the mandate and its importance. why should the rest of us in america pay $1,000 a year in our health insurance plans because there are those who don't want to buy health insurance and end up in the emergency rooms of america and they thumb their noses at us on the way out because of uncompensated care and they don't pay the bill? so you know what will be great, mr. speaker? if we all knew the day our house was going to burn down,

then you know what, the day before we would buy homeowners insurance. if we all knew the day that we were going to get in that accident, we'd buy automobile insurance. but the truth is the insurance spreads risks we don't know when those things might occur so we buy insurance in advance. so today, 20 million more americans have health insurance because of what we did with the affordable care act. this idea that you can continually sabotage and take it apart piece by piece makes no sense. and on this particular issue with the device revenue, i can tell you and i can state to you under oath, mr. speaker, what we did to negotiate this contribution to making america's health care more effective and better for all members of the american family, the understanding being that at the end of life, if you have earlier intervention with

health care, the end of life might be a heck of a lot more pleasant along the way. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. paulsen: i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from indiana who has been a champion of not only repealing this tax but fighting hard for the medical device industry in her home state. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from indiana is recognized for two minutes. mrs. walorski: thank you, mr. paulsen. i rise today in support of h.r. 184, the protect medical innovation act. this legislation will permanently repeal the job-killing medical device tax. hoosiers are proud to be leaders in medical innovation with more than 300 medical device manufacturers in our state that support nearly 55,000 jobs. these are high-paying jobs with workers in the industry earning about $50,000 per year on average. however, after obamacare's medical device tax took effect, the industry lost almost 29,000 good-paying jobs nationwide from 2012 to 2015, according to the commerce department data.

that's why congress took bipartisan action in 2015 to suspend the tax for two years and did so again earlier this year. but if it goes back into effect, after 2019, it will impede new discoveries, it will stifle medical innovation while destroying good jobs. right now our economy is booming because of historic tax cuts and regulatory reforms and we need to keep that momentum going. it's time to end the medical device tax once and for all. permanently repealing this job-killing tax will protect american workers and help patients access the life-save medical technology they need -- life-saving medical technology they need. this tax would have a devastating impact on hoosier workers and people from across the country who depend on these products. the protect medical innovation act will boost american innovation and manufacturing, it will encourage medical research and development that make a real difference in people's lives. i urge my colleagues to support this vital piece of legislation and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: mr. speaker, we're finally prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: i'm delighted that the gentlelady from indiana, my friend, just mentioned the tax cut. so, let me just point this out. we've gone from a rate of 35% in the corporate world to 21%. a 14-point cut in the corporate tax rate. and we're being asked to do this. n top of it. now, medicare purchases most of the medical devices in america. taxpayer-supported. it's an earned benefit. but here's the other important part of it that i think bears some noting today. it's a terrific industry. it's not in dispute. it's an important industry in

america. but when the gentlelady says, well, the economy's booming because of these tax cuts, a reminder of fact, not from my twitter account, but stated on the house floor, the american economy has been growing for 94 straight months. the idea that this all happened 500 days ago doesn't stand up underneath the magazine nying glass of critical analysis. the stock market's been going up since march of 2009. so when i look at the corporate , t, astounding by the way remember president obama said we should have a corporate rate of 28% and the chairman of the ways and means committee, a good friend of mine, republican, he said, no, we should have 25%, so what did the other side do? let's see, the difference etween 28% and 25% is 21%. i mean, i can't figure that out yet. so day after day we roll through

here with another tax cut proposal. we watch the deficits and the debt go to $20 trillion. whatever happened to the republican idea of fiscal rectitude? which year after year they lectured us on. we negotiated this agreement over the device tax, mr. speaker. guaranteed. it was accepted by the industry. again, we applied it to foreign competition, they would be taxed at the same rate. medicare would remain the largest vendor. the largest purchaser of medical devices. this is a step backwards on american's -- on america's health care plan. if they would just give the affordable care act a chance to work, instead of these deliberate efforts day after day to sabotage it, we could move on with the business of the country. and with that, mr. speaker, i gladly yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, as i close, let he had remind my colleague -- let me remind my

colleague, according to the i.r.s., 79% of the 6.6 million people that paid the penalty in 2015 had incomes below $50,000. these are middle class people -- i'd be happy to yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: -- due to the cost subsidies for those people. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, reclaiming my time. on the individual mandate, on the individual mandate, 6.6 million people that paid the penalty had incomes below $50,000. these are middle class people that had to pay the fine instead of buying overpriced obamacare coverage that they could not afford. starting in 2019 they're not going to have to do that anymore. republicans think that that's a good thing. let me close back on the bill, though, mr. speaker. the good news is both republicans and democrats here today agree and understand that the medical device excise tax does more harm than good. more harm than good. and it has to be repealed.

we heard testimony and speakers today on both sides of the aisle. we'll have a strong bipartisan vote to repeal this tax permanently. we've already had a suspension twice. but we need to give this industry certainty. so we can make sure this american success story not only survives but thrivings. it's about high-paying -- thrives. it's about high-paying jobs with net exports around the world. this makes sure that our patients not only in the united states are going to have access to new medical technology devices, baby boomers, seniors, those getting up in their elder years, this is really critical for the innovation that's going to help make sure we're protecting patients around the world, keeping headquarters here, keeping jobs here, improving health care outcomes. so today we have an opportunity to help. it's helping those small startups. small startups that are part of the very ecosystem that has made this industry so strong in the united states, that provides these jobs. and making sure that entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, folks that come up

with an idea in the backyard, in the garage, can see their idea come to fruition. so let's remove this threat to innovation. let's remove this job-killing tax. once and for all. 277 co-sponsors in the house. how many bills actually get that many co-sponsors, democrats and republicans? let's continue to show the american public that what we're doing here in washington on this issue is results-oriented, is solution-oriented. and we're sensitive and we understand that. so with that i would ask everyone to vote to pass h.r. 184 and i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time for debate has expired. the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. the question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a bill to amend the

internal revenue code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on medical devices. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. paulsen: i ask for a recorded vote. i ask for the yeas and nays, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. hastings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. most respectfully, mr. speaker, i rise to withdraw my name as a -sponsor of h.r. 2069, the fostering stable housing opportunities act of 2017. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the house declares -- "washington journal" continues. host: this is mary ellen mcintire. looking at matters of health care. as a revisit this this week? guest: the last week that the house is in session for the summer. there will be a series of votes on bills related to health care. are looking at access to health savings accounts and to repeal one of the affordable care act taxes. one of the most unpopular parts of the law. inare revisiting health care

the final weeks before republicans go on to campaign. are looking at premiums which has been a big focus. focusing on that. republicans to say that they took votes and they're looking to get people more options. their argument is that more access to health savings accounts disk people control to their health care. do republicans not want to be attached to the rising premiums? not necessarily to lower premiums but it is a chance for them to take on health care. result inecessarily lower premiums for insurance plans, it is a chance for republicans to say that they are lowering health care costs. host: let's look at specific topics. health savings accounts. tell us about the legislation at play?

guest: the ways and means committee approved earlier this bills.wo they will broaden the types of things you can spend that money on. a tax-free account that you can spend money on. it is pretty specific what you can use it for. they're looking to open that up. exercise open up jim equipment. you could use your health savings account for things like that. it would also allow more coverage for hitting your deductible. direct primary care, things like that. -- sor bill would seek to for local seniors, one would allow them to establish a health savings account for additional health care costs they may have

outside the part a coverage. host: is there a cap on these plans. how much money can people put in these? guest: one of these bills looks the amount of out-of-pocket costs. host: you mentioned high deductible plans. how deductible -- how prevalent are they? >> they have become more common. republicans say that there's an effect of the affordable care act. is trying to bills increase the types of plans associated with a high deductible plan. a bronze plan under these measures would qualify for hsa which isn't currently the case. host: our guest will be with us to talk about health care. you can call the lines. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001.

.ndependent, (202) 748-8002 for the proposals, how responsive are democrats? little bit less enthusiastic. on the boat -- on the vote today isminimize the tax, that sponsored. proven to be have a little bit less partisan. a few voted for a piece of them but the democrats of argue they are not paying for these measures. bills don't dose enough to address rising premiums. instead, theyt should put forth stabilization bills to stabilize the market place. are eligible for the tax credits. and they want to reverse the steps that the administration has taken in the past several

months. the tax on medical devices is a tax to helpexcess finance the aca. it has repeatedly been delayed. it currently won't take effect for a couple of more years. the bill is sponsored by representative from minnesota. it increases that costs on device manufacturers. it isn't on sales. so it becomes more difficult for them to invest in these issues. host: all types of medical devices? all types. host: the first call is from richard in north carolina. you are on with mary ellen mcintire. go ahead. er: i was wondering with

the health savings accounts, why you can't go into a bank and open one up? guest: the individual is in charge of the health savings account. , they areent laws under high deductible plans. if you have a plan that qualifies, you set it up. and you put a certain amount of money each year under a certain limit for that and you can use it for various purchases you make over the year. host: new york is next. sean, good morning. caller: i want to make a quick comment about pharmaceuticals. when as as if pharmaceutical company does advertisements for the drugs they are trying to promote, they

get a big deduction on their taxes when they market these drugs to other people. likehe fda has something 4000 drugs ready for approval. but they put them on hold for whatever reason. when president obama was president, right before he left office, he came out with the cures act. could you expound on that a little bit? pharmaceutical companies, and other major health care issue. pricingl discuss a issue tomorrow. you mentioned pharmaceutical advertising. that is one thing they will be discussing in the blueprint. it requires pharmaceutical theanies to list -- to give

list price of drugs. it is unclear how much the administration can do on our own. peaking idea that has -- that has peaks a lot of interest since they put it out this year. the cures act passed at the end of 2015. and it was meant to spur medical innovation. it is a bipartisan bill. the energy and commerce committee will be doing some work on that as well. and -- will be testifying on that this week. is this still a push to lower the price of prescription drugs? guest: this is something we have seen the secretary talk a lot about this week. we have had announcements from prescription drug prices. lowering the prices of certain drugs given questions about how

much they will go so far. but these are questions for the secretary and the administration who have seen trump leaning on pharmaceutical companies in the past couple weeks. where therearea will be legislation tomorrow. it is unclear how much issue will come from capitol hill. -- caller: i don't know that much i do notlth care and

agreed annual report so i went through and read the reports of the larger companies when i discovered something called the -- issue where every dollar they earn a premium and they have to in claims,5 or more right? so that leads 10-15 cents for all of the other expenses from the country -- from the company. 2% or 3%.em to pocket why do thehe case, press and other companies vilify insurance companies? compared to what the tech companies make? guest: it is an important provision of the aca. mpore: the house will be in order. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the vote on passage of h.r. 184 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r.